No "larger conspiracy" behind Una Dalits flogging: Govt to HC

The state government today told the Gujarat High Court that no evidence has come to the light so far to suggest any "larger conspiracy" behind Una Dalits' flogging case of last year.
The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has scrutinised all the call details of the accused beginning 15 days prior to the incident but no evidence of any "larger conspiracy" has been found so far, it said.
The government made this submission while responding to a petition seeking a CBI probe into the incident which had triggered massive disaffection among dalits.
A division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice VM Pancholi today reserved its order after hearing arguments of both sides.

The government insisted that the petition does not survive as a charge sheet has already been filed in the case by the Gujarat CID (Crime).
Petitioner Ratna Vora, however, said the CID's probe was "biased and full of lacunae" as several accused, including the alleged mastermind, are out on bail with the government not even challenging their release.

She said the IPC section 306 (abetment of suicide) should be invoked against the accused as a youth committed suicide while several others, disturbed by the brutal incident, had tried to end their lives. The incident had been captured on camera and its video footage was widely circulated.

The petitioner argued that the episode also attracts various sections of the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
She said the incident should be looked at from the angle of a "larger conspiracy" and the role of the cow vigilante groups, including their source of funding, should be probed.
A group of dalits was publicly thrashed by vigilantes for skinning a dead cow at Mota Samadhiyala village under Una taluka of Gir Somnath district on July 11.
The matter was probed by the CID which had arrested over 30 people and submitted a charge sheet in September.