Chawda is a Dalit. He is from the Rohit caste that has traditionally, in Gujarat, been involved in the skinning of dead cattle. The community accounts for around 40 % of the state’s Dalit population. scroll.in/article/103842… #GujaratElections #Gujarat
Chawda’s decision to abruptly stop working, risking an investment worth lakhs of rupees, was a result of an event that shook Gujarat in 2016. scroll.in/article/103842…
That year, in July, in Gir Somnath district’s Una taluka, cow-protection vigilantes brutally assaulted four people from the Rohit community for skinning a dead cow. The incident led to a massive Dalit uprising in Gujarat. scroll.in/article/103842…
In Surendranagar, the protest stood out: Rohit cow-skinners in the district dumped dead cows outside the collectorate office and thereafter stopped working for nearly three months. scroll.in/article/103842…
But the Una incident would completely upend the economics of the trade. scroll.in/article/103842… The job is so deeply entrenched in the caste system that nobody else was willing to do the job even in lieu of remuneration.
The episode weaned away many Rohit cow skinners from the profession for good. However, some like Chawda returned – to a trade whose power dynamics had changed drastically. Now, it was the Dalit cow-skinners who had the upper hand. scroll.in/article/103842…
#Gujarat | Instead, cow skinners from the community say the opposite has happened. Their incomes have plummeted to unprecedented levels, thanks to a dramatic decline in the price of cow skin “since Una”. scroll.in/article/103842… Read @psychia90's ground report for more⬇️
This article is part of a special Scroll reporting project: #Gujarat’s ‘dhandho’ elections, exploring the state’s complex relationship between business and politics as it heads into elections. To contribute to our reportage,follow the link below scroll.in/announcements/…
Trading in cow hide was a lost cause, Hirabhai Chawda said: “We are surviving on bones now. That is what is saving us.” “It happened after Modi came to power in the Centre. But after Una, we saw things became even worse. He is punishing us.” scroll.in/article/103842… @psychia90
#Gujarat: Among Surendranagar’s cow skinners and traders, there is unanimous consensus about what has led to this drastic drop in demand for their animal hide: the politics around cow protection. scroll.in/article/103842… @psychia90 reports #GujaratElections2022
#Gujarat: The closure of several tanneries in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur on the account of pollution had been a body blow to Surendranagar’s cow-skinners since they were the biggest market for Gujarati hides. Read: scroll.in/article/103842… By @psychia90