India’s Dalits strike back at centuries of oppression by letting dead cows rot on the streets — Quartz

24.7.16

India’s Dalits strike back at centuries of oppression by letting dead cows rot on the streets — Quartz: The victims were members of the Chamaar caste, part of India’s Dalit community, that has traditionally disposed of animal carcasses by using their skin, bones, and other body parts for commercial purposes.

The savagery has caused such anguish that some 17 distraught Dalits have attempted suicide in the western Indian state in protest against the incident.

Others have pelted stones, resorted to sit-ins, and blocked traffic on Gujarat’s highways. “There was also an attack on two state buses in Amreli by a mob of 2,000 men. Nearly 90% of bus trips scheduled in Jamnagar, Rajkot, Junagadh and Amreli divisions were cancelled, affecting the movement of three lakh passengers… In all, 500 protesters were arrested from different parts of Saurashtra..,” The Indian Express reported.

The blowback is evident not just in Gujarat, prime minister Narendra Modi’s home state, but also in other parts of the country, including the Indian parliament.