Ahmedabad: As a mark of
protest against the thrashing of Dalit youths at Una, Dalit writer Amrutlal
Makwana on Wednesday returned an award given by the Gujarat government.
The 44-year-old writer had received
the Dasi Jeevan Shreshth Dalit Sahitya Kruti Award for 2012-13 for his work Kharapat Nu Dalit Lok Sahitya. Makwana
returned the award, including Rs 25,000 cash, at Ahmedabad District
Collector’s office. “I have also given a short letter to the authorities saying
that I am returning this award out of grief and pain due to the treatment meted
out to Dalit youths in Una,” he said. The letter is addressed to Chief Minister
Anandiben Patel.
Makwana, a resident of Wadhwan town
of Surendranagar district, further said, “Such incidents are occurring in
Gujarat on a regular basis but the government is not doing enough to ensure
that Dalits get justice.What happened at Mota Samadhiyala village of
Gir-Somnath district was ghastly and barbaric. Such atrocities on Dalits are
condemnable and it shook me to the core. Sadly, such incidents are happening
around us regularly,” he said.
On July 11, some Dalit youths from
Mota Samadhiyala who were skinning a dead cow were flogged by cow vigilantes,
alleging that they had killed the cow. After a video of the incident went
viral, it sparked off violent protests across Gujarat.
According to a report by Human
Rights Watch, “Dalits and indigenous peoples (known as Scheduled Tribes or adivasis)
continue to face discrimination, exclusion, and acts of communal violence. Laws
and policies adopted by the Indian government provide a strong basis for
protection, but are not being faithfully implemented by local authorities.”
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