Beef is part of our diet, say Shantipura Dalits

"If they are Hindus, what are we then," asked a young Dalit. SHANTIPURA (CHIKKAMAGALURU), July 26, 2016 : “If they are Hindus, what are we then,” asked a young man, who was part of a group gathered outside the house of Balaraj, one of the five Dalits attacked on July 10, allegedly by a Hindutva group on the charge of “stealing and slaughtering” a cow. ‘Left the Hindutva group’ Gurumurthy, a Dalit youth, one of the founders of Hindu Jagaran Vedike’s branch in Kunduru near here, said: “We conducted Satyanarayana puja to mark the inauguration of the branch four years ago. But, we left the organisation after we realised that the leaders were opposed to our food habits.” The attackers were believed to be associated with the Bajrang Dal. Dhanush (23), another injured in the incident, told The Hindu: “Yes, beef is part of our diet and food culture. If consuming it is against the law, let the police take action. How can anyone else beat us up?” The Dalits of Shantipura village said beef had been part of their food culture for ages. “We can’t afford mutton, which costs more than Rs. 400 a kg,” said Sarasu, Mr. Balaraj’s wife. TheHindu