AHMEDABAD: Three Dalit men today attempted suicide outside the collector's office in Junagadh district of Gujarat, while some 40 others were detained at Surendranagar as the community organised a protest demanding land for the landless Dalits.
The three protesters consumed some poisonous liquid outside the office of Junagadh collector and were admitted to civil hospital, police said.
They have been identified as Parbatbhai Parmar (52), Chandubhai Parmar (39) and Jignesh Parmar (25). "All three belong to Sanda village in Mangrol tehsil of Junagadh district. They demanded immediate resolution of land issue and consumed poison," a police official from Junagadh C-division police station said.
Around 40 protesting Dalits were detained by police for two hours when they blocked a road outside circuit house in Surendranagar, police said.
"We went ahead with our protest today as planned, since our demands were not met by the government. We blocked the road for over an hour," said Subodh Parmar of Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch under whose banner the protest was organised.
He said the administration had agreed to discuss their demands. "The sub divisional magistrate met us and assured us that the issue would be resolved," Parmar said.
The Dalit community in Gujarat is demanding allotment of land for the landless Dalits and other eligible persons from ST and OBC communities, including handing over possession of land to 182 Dalits who were allotted the land but did not get actual possession, action against those who usurped the land meant for the community, and fresh survey of Dalits for allotment of BPL cards, among other things