Una redux: 3 Dalits thrashed for objecting to casteist slur
Ahmedabad, Nov 9: Three Dalits were allegedly thrashed by four men for objecting to their casteist slur in a village near Una town in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district, police said Friday.
It comes over two years after the flogging of four Dalit youths by cow vigilantes in the same district triggered a national outcry.
The latest incident took place at Nandrukh village, about 400 km from Ahmedabad, on Thursday. No arrests have been made yet, the police said.
The complaint was filed by one of the victims, Manu Solanki (27), who has claimed that one of the accused, Ajit Gohil, was arrested for his involvement in the 2016 Una flogging case and is currently out on bail. The three other accused are Mahendra Gohil, Kishor Gohil and Aniruddh Gohil, all belonging to an Other Backward Class (OBC) community, the police said.
According to the FIR lodged at the Una police station, the incident took place when Manu Solanki and his relative, Bharat Solanki, were returning to Nandrakh on foot. When they entered the village, the four men, who according to Manu Solanki were drunk, suddenly started verbally abusing him and Bharat Solanki for being Dalits and hurled casteist slur at them.
When they protested, the four hit them with sticks. One of the accused even attacked Manu Solanki using a knife, which left a wound near his face, they said. The accused also thrashed another relative of Manu Solanki, Ugabhai Solanki, who rushed to the spot to save the duo, the FIR stated.
When the injured were being taken to a hospital in an ambulance, the accused tried to block its way using their motorcycles, it added.
The three are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Junagadh town, the police said.
"The complainant has claimed that one of the accused was earlier arrested in the incident which took place at Mota Samadhiyala. We have not verified his claims yet. We will investigate it. As of now, no one has been arrested," said district Superintendent of Police Rahul Tripathi.
The four accused have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the SP added.
On July 11, 2016, four Dalit youths were beaten up, allegedly by cow vigilantes, near Mota Samadhiyala village of Junagadh district when they were skinning a dead cow. The attackers had claimed the victims had killed the cow.
Later, the accused took them to the nearby Una town and once again thrashed them with sticks and iron rods after tying them to a vehicle. The Dalit men were also paraded half-naked on the road in full view of the public.
The flogging had caused nationwide outrage and triggered protests.
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Metro ridership in Haryana sees over 13 pc rise in 2025-26
Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana's urban transit system witnessed a strong growth in 2025-26, with metro ridership registering a robust 13.55 per cent increase, the state government said in a statement on Thursday.
The progress was reviewed in the 64th board meeting of Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC) chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.
Between April 2025 and February 2026, the metro network recorded over 1.74 crore passengers, compared to 1.53 crore in the corresponding period the previous year.
July recorded the highest monthly growth at 22.93 per cent, while all months showed consistent positive trends.
Financial performance has also remained strong, with fare revenue rising 12.64 per cent till January 2026, the statement said.
Non-fare revenue surged by 108 per cent, driven by effective monetisation of station spaces, advertisements and commercial activities, resulting in an operating surplus for Rapid Metro.
Further initiatives, including the auction of station naming rights and additional advertisement sites, are expected to strengthen HMRTC's financial position, the statement said.
Appreciating the performance, Rastogi stated that the consistent rise in ridership and revenue reflects the success of Haryana's integrated transport strategy, rising commuter confidence and a clear shift towards public transport.
HMRTC Managing Director Chander Shekhar Khare said that, alongside operational gains, the state is making steady progress on an ambitious pipeline of metro and regional transit projects.
Metro connectivity from Gurugram Sector 56 to Panchgaon is under active consideration, with Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited studying the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and layout plan, and finalising a depot location in Sector 36A near Sihi village, he said.
The Gurugram-Faridabad Namo Bharat corridor has achieved a key milestone, with alignment and station locations finalised and approved by the Haryana government. The National Capital Region Transport Corporation is preparing the DPR, he added.
Similarly, the Delhi-Kundli metro extension is proposed to be placed before the Haryana Cabinet for approval.
The 136.3-kilometre Delhi-Panipat-Karnal RRTS Corridor has also progressed, with the revised DPR submitted for financial concurrence ahead of Haryana Cabinet consideration.
Within Gurugram, DPR preparation has been approved for key intra-city corridors, including the 17.09-kilometre Bhondsi-Subhash Chowk-Rajeev Chowk-Sohna Chowk Railway Station corridor, enhancing connectivity along Sohna Road, Khare said.
