Aman Zutshi
KATHUA: Tension mounted in Kathua and its surrounding areas after a video of cow vigilantes thrashing a Dalit driver of a passenger bus went viral on social media following the death of a calf and a bull in an accident on the main road near village Ghati on July 04, 2024.
Several social activists and members of civil society organized a protest demonstration under the banner of United Front outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Kathua, on July 08, 2024, seeking the registration of a criminal case and arrest of all the accused involved in the violent assault on the bus driver.
The protestors demanded the registration of a case against the cow vigilantes under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act instead of a simple case of a criminal assault on the driver. They alleged that the accused hurled caste slurs against the bus driver after getting to know that he was Dalit.
Sunny Dogra, a protestor in the group, said, “On July 02, 2024, a video of Ramesh Kumar, a bus driver being thrashed by some persons went viral on social media. Ramesh Kumar was coming back after dropping passengers at village Ghati when in an accident, a calf and a bull were hit on the road. The cow vigilantes chased the vehicle and caught the driver near Dream Park, Kathua.”
“The accused,” Sunny Dogra said, “pulled the driver out of the vehicle and drove him to the spot of the accident in their car. After establishing his identity, they thrashed him brutally and later handed him over to the police. The three accused also included the local Sarpanch of Ghati. Jai Bhim and Mool Nivasi Sangathan members went to the police seeking arrest and legal action against the accused. But the police did not initiate any action.”
According to Sunny Dogra, “The police registered a case against only one accused Ravinder Singh, who got bail. No case was registered against the accused under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which is non-bailable. The Deputy Commissioner, Kathua, assured the agitators that a case under SC and ST Act will be registered.”
The protestors raised slogans against the BJP and RSS for their alleged role in “protecting the cow vigilantes.”
Another protester, Balbir Kumar alleged that the police did not take any action when some people held a similar protest in Ward Number 10 of Kathua a few days back. He alleged that how can police ignore the activities of a gang of criminals, who are disguising themselves as cow vigilantes and targeting members of Dalit community and other oppressed groups.
The agitators have already given an ultimatum of two days to the police and civil administration to initiate stringent action against the accused. They said that they would be forced to intensify their agitation if the authorities failed to dispense justice to the victims.
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