Will convert to Islam with family if BJP does not act against MLA's husband: Cong Dalit leader
Ahmedabad: Congress Junagadh City SC/ST Unit President Rajesh Solanki has threatened to convert to Islam along with his entire family and many other Dalits if the Gujarat state government did not seek the resignation of BJP MLA from Gondal Geetaba Jadeja and arrest her husband, as the MLA’s son had allegedly assaulted Solanki’s son in May.
Solanki also heads the Junagadh District Backward Class Committee, a Dalit organization, while his son, 26-year-old Sanjay Solanki, is a leader of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI). Sanjay was allegedly assaulted by Jadeja’s son, 25-year-old Jyotiradityasinh Jadeja, also called Ganesh, in May.
The Congress leader met the Junagadh District Collector on Wednesday and collected application forms for government permission for religious conversion, reports The Indian Express.
Solanki had warned before the media on Saturday, July 6, that he, along with around 150 members his extended family, would convert to Islam if action was not taken on the MLA. He gave a deadline of August 15 for the resignation of the BJP legislator and the arrest of her husband for involvement in the assault on Sanjay.
Jyotiradityasinh was booked on May 31 after a police complaint was filed by Sanjay, accusing the MLA’s son and his acquaintances of kidnapping him from Junagadh after a verbal duel over Jyotiradityasinh’s driving. Sanjay complained to the police that he was taken by the group to Gondal, threatened with a pistol, stripped and forced to apologize while the entire scene was recorded on a mobile phone. The police arrested Jyotiradiyasinh and 10 others on charges of attempt to murder and under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. All the accused are presently in judicial custody.
Rajesh Solanki, however, has alleged the involvement of Jyotiradityasinh’s father Jayrajsinh, a former three-time MLA from Gondal, in the kidnapping and assaulting of Sanjay.
Addressing reporters in Junagadh on Wednesday, he said that Gujarat had reported at least 5,000 cases of atrocities on Dalits during the 25-year rule of the BJP in the state. The state government, however, had failed to protect the citizens of Gujarat, he added.
He stated on Thursday that he had given the Gujarat government time till August 15 to take action in the case of assault on Sanjay and warned that his family would take out a protest rally to Gandhinagar and submit memorandums to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. He added that, if the government did not respond positively to their demands, the family would convert to Islam as it made no sense to be part of a religion whose members refused to acknowledge them as fellow Hindus and assaulted them, but were happy to marry their daughters to people who offer namaz.
Junagadh Additional DC NF Chaudhary confirmed that Solanki had collected the forms for conversion, adding that no filled up form had been submitted to them yet. He also said that the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act empowers a district magistrate to ascertain if any individual is seeking conversion out of duress, or if someone is luring an individual to convert.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
