GANDHINAGAR: The number of murder of Dalits in Gujarat declined by 32 per cent in 2015 as compared to the previous year, the BJP government told the state Legislative Assembly here today.
"As against the 25 cases of murders of Dalit persons registered in 2014 in Gujarat, only 17 such cases were registered in 2015. It shows a drastic decrease of 32 percent," Gujarat Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja informed the House.
The minister provided these figures while responding to a short call notice given by Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar over the alleged murder of a Dalit sarpanch in Amreli district a week back.
"Out of the 707 such cases related to the murder of Dalits registered across the country in 2015, only 17 were in Gujarat. That is only 2.40 per cent," Jadeja further said.
"Out of the total 45,003 cases registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act across India in 2015, only 1,046 cases were registered in Gujarat. That is only 2.32 percent of total cases," Jadeja added.
Congress MLA Parmar alleged that atrocities on the Dalit community in Gujarat has witnessed a rise following the Una Dalit flogging incident last year.
Through his notice under the rule 116 of the Assembly, the Congress legislator sought to know the steps taken by the state government to nab the culprits involved in the Amreli murder case.
Countering the charges levelled by the Congress that atrocities on Dalits was on the rise under the BJP rule, the Minister said that of all the cases of atrocities on Dalits
across the country in 2015, less than three per cent cases occurred in Gujarat.
Jadeja said that one Jaysukh Madhad, a Dalit sarpanch of Varasda village, was allegedly killed by three men from the same village on February 28 over political enmity and grudge against Madhad, who was elected as sarpanch of that village in 2016.
The minister informed the House that all the three accused were arrested within three days and sent to jail by local police.
"The family of the victim was given a compensation of Rs 4,30,500 by the government," he said.
Jadeja also claimed that the government has taken several decisive steps to ensure safety and security of Dalits in the state.