Even as the reverberations of the violence inflicted on a group of Dalit men by c

ow protection vigilantes near the small Gujarat town of Una are felt in Parliamen
t, the protests continue to spread across the State. Large parts of Saurashtra,
the region rocked most by agitations led by Dalit groups, were practically shut
down on Wednesday after a bandh call, and diferent modes of protest have been ad
opted. It is a protest that appears to have grown organically in response to the
violence the men bore on July 11, a video of which had been posted online by on
e of the assailants. They were stripped, flogged, bound and paraded on accusatio
ns that they had killed a cow for skinning. It is a videographic record of both
random and systemic cruelty. The various modes of protest must be seen as a cry
for redressal and systemic social change all around. Some have protested by atte
mpting suicide, and one died after consuming a poisonous substance. Certain prot
esters have taken to dumping animal carcasses near a district oicial s oice. There
has been mobilisation on the streets across Gujarat, with one policeman succumb
ing to injuries after stone-pelting by protesters. There are plans for more Stat
e-wide protests. This is a rage that needs a comprehensive and holistic response
rather than a confrontationist approach relying heavily on firefighting. Gujara
t Chief Minister Anandiben Patel has met the victims. Prime Minister Narendra Mo
di condemned the atrocity and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke about the
assault in Parliament, terming such acts against Dalits a social evil that every
one must come together to combat. Congress president Sonia Gandhi has sought to
corner the Bharatiya Janata Party for social terror , and party leaders are schedul
ed to visit Una, as are representatives of many other political parties. The vic
tims of the Una assault must be reassured by the authorities seeing to it that t
heir assailants are punished; moreover, the administration must ensure their saf
ety, so that reprisals are not visited upon them. But for this to happen, the Ce
ntral and State governments need to level with the people. Cow protection (gau r
aksha) cannot be a cover for the pursuit of the kind of aggressive vigilantism t
hat has been witnessed in diferent parts of the country, more often than not as
an exercise in communal consolidation. That violence and intimidation in the nam
e of the cow (or beef) will not be tolerated is a message that needs to go out q
uickly and unequivocally not only from the Gujarat government but also from the
Centre.