The Souharda Bharatha Vedike has expressed shock and condemned the attack on Dalit writer and poet Uchhangi Prasad and an alleged attempt to cut off the fingers on his right hand.
In a joint statement here on Saturday, leading writers and intellectuals, led by director of the Kalaburagi Rangayana R.K. Hudgi, Kashinath Ambalagi, vice-president of the Janawadi Mahila Sanghatane, K. Neela, Srishail Gooli, Prabhu Khanapure, Ravi Sajjan, Bhimashankar Madiyal, Meenakshi Bali, and A.G. Desai charged the Union and State governments with going soft against the activities of right-wing groups.
“Failure on the part of the government to take firm action against these groups has given them the courage to step up their attack on Dalits and minorities,” they said.
Referring to an incident of the burning of two Dalit children in Sonpet in Faridabad in Haryana and attacks on Dalits in other parts of the country, the statement said that the most shocking part was that some Union Ministers and senior BJP leaders supporting these attacks.
“This only exposes the mind set of the people in power towards Dalits and oppressed sections of the society,” they said.
The vedike demanded that the government book a suo motu case against V.K. Singh for hurting the sentiments of the Dalits . It urged the State government to immediately arrest those who were responsible for the attack on the Dalit writer Uchangi Prasad.
