On 11 July 2016, men claiming to be cow protectors beat seven members of a Dalit family who were skinning a dead cow near Mota Samadhiyala village in Una taluka, Gujarat, and paraded four of them tied to a vehicle. A video of the assault went viral, and Dalit protests spread across the state, with carcasses dumped at government offices, a bandh, suicide attempts and a march to Una that ended on 15 August. The CID arrested 43 people, and on 16 March 2026 a Veraval court convicted five and acquitted the rest.
Key takeaways
- On 11 July 2016 self-styled cow vigilantes beat a Dalit family skinning a dead cow near Mota Samadhiyala, Una taluka, accusing them of cow slaughter; the CID later said a lion had killed the cow.
- From 18 July protests spread across Gujarat: carcasses dumped at a collector's office, buses burnt, a bandh on 20 July, a head constable killed and 23 suicide attempts, one fatal.
- Jignesh Mevani's Una Dalit Atyachar Ladat Samiti marched from Ahmedabad to Una, where on 15 August 2016 thousands pledged to stop removing carcasses and demanded five acres per Dalit family.
- CM Anandiben Patel resigned on 1 August citing age; on 6 August PM Modi said most cow protection groups were "anti-social elements".
- On 16 March 2026 a Veraval court convicted five accused and acquitted the rest; the victims, who became Buddhists in 2018, said they would appeal.
What happened at Mota Samadhiyala
The Sarvaiya family of Mota Samadhiyala were leather tanners, and skinning dead cattle was their traditional work Scroll. Balu Sarvaiya told Newslaundry that on the morning of 11 July 2016 a relative called to say a lioness had killed a cow in nearby Bediya village, and the family went to collect the carcass. The cow's owner also told Newslaundry it had been killed by a lioness Newslaundry.
More than 40 men attacked seven members of the family and accused them of cow slaughter. Four of them were stripped, tied to the back of a car and beaten with sticks and iron rods while some attackers filmed the assault Scroll. The victims were then paraded in Una town ETV Bharat. Reports describe the group as members of a local vigilante group, the Gau Rakshak Samiti Deccan Herald.
Vashram Sarvaiya, then 26, and his brother Ramesh, 23, later described their injuries to reporters: Ramesh said he was hit on the liver and could not walk straight, and Vashram's eardrums were damaged Newslaundry.
How the protests spread
The video went viral, and protests broke out across the Saurashtra region on the evening of Monday 18 July. In Surendranagar, Dalit protesters unloaded a truckload of cow carcasses in front of the collector's office. Two state buses were burnt near Dhoraji and another near Dhrol, and NH-27 between Rajkot and Porbandar was blocked The Wire. Dalits also dumped carcasses in government offices, asking "gau rakshaks" to dispose of them The Quint.
By late July carcasses lay unattended in parts of Surendranagar, and cowshed managers asked village heads to stop sending sick cows The Quint.
Protest also took the form of suicide attempts. On 18 July five Dalits, including a Congress councillor, drank phenyl in Gondal and two others consumed germicide in Jamkandorna The Wire. On 19 July three more men consumed poison in Batwa, Junagadh district PTI via Deccan Herald. One person who had consumed poison died, which Union Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot acknowledged in the Rajya Sabha on 20 July IANS via Business Standard. The CID chargesheet later counted 23 suicide attempts, of which one was fatal Newslaundry.
Timeline
The assault
Seven family members are attacked near Mota Samadhiyala; four are stripped, tied to a car, beaten and paraded in Una Scroll.
CID probe ordered
CM Anandiben Patel hands the case to the CID (Crime), announces a special court, a special public prosecutor and a 60-day deadline for the chargesheet, and Rs 1 lakh compensation per victim. Nine people had been arrested and three policemen suspended PTI via Sakshi Post. Carcasses are dumped in Surendranagar and seven protesters attempt suicide The Wire.
Head constable killed
Police say head constable Pankaj Amreli was injured in stone pelting in Amreli town and died in a Rajkot hospital; 10 others were injured. A bus was torched in Dhoraji and protests reached Ahmedabad, where dozens were detained PTI via Deccan Herald.
Gujarat bandh and Parliament uproar
The Dalit Panthers Party had called a Gujarat bandh PTI via Deccan Herald. Three buses were burnt in Mehsana district, Rajkot-Ahmedabad bus services were suspended and police used tear gas in Keshod and Dholka; police had registered 48 cases Deccan Herald. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned six times Deccan Herald.
Chief Minister resigns
Anandiben Patel sends her resignation to the BJP leadership and posts it on Facebook, citing the age limit of 75 Outlook.
Prime Minister speaks
Modi tells a town hall in Delhi that most cow protection groups are anti-social elements, and repeats the attack on "fake gau rakshaks" in Telangana IANS via Morung Express.
March to Una and pledge
A 10-day, 350 km march from Ahmedabad ends in a rally in Una on 15 August Sakshi Post.
CID chargesheet
The CID files its chargesheet, accusing Una police of fudging records The Wire.
The march to Una and the pledge
The Una Dalit Atyachar Ladat Samiti, founded by Jignesh Mevani, led the 10-day, 350 km foot march from Ahmedabad that ended in Una on 15 August 2016, the eve of the 70th Independence Day. Thousands took a pledge to stop removing cow carcasses and demanded five acres of land for each Dalit family, threatening a "rail roko" agitation if the state did not act within a month Sakshi Post.
You take cow's tail, give us land.
Jignesh Mevani, Una rally, 15 August 2016 (as reported by Sakshi Post)
The flag was unfurled by Radhika Vemula, mother of the Hyderabad scholar Rohith Vemula, and Balu Sarvaiya, in the presence of JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar. Muslim community members came in large numbers to support the rally Sakshi Post.
On the way back, Dalits were attacked at Samter village, about 11 km from Una. At least 12 were injured, about eight severely. Police fired 46 tear gas shells and six rounds in the air, and arrested 22 people. Victims said Samter residents were avenging the arrest of 12 villagers in the flogging case PTI via Deccan Herald.
Both accounts
Victims' and protesters' account
The family said they were skinning a cow killed by a lioness, their traditional work, and had not killed it PTI via Sakshi Post. Ramesh Sarvaiya said police who stopped the vigilantes' jeep "joked and exchanged pleasantries" with them instead of rescuing the victims Newslaundry. Protesters said the authorities were being soft on the accused The Wire. Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela said there was "complete lawlessness in Gujarat" PTI via Deccan Herald.
Accused's, police and government account
Claim · Accused The accused justified the attack by alleging the men were involved in cow slaughter PTI via Sakshi Post. Government's position Anandiben Patel said she was "deeply pained" and that the government ensured "full support & protection to victims" The Wire. Deputy CM Nitin Patel said the government had taken "stringent action" and accused the Congress of seeking "political mileage" before the 2017 election PTI via Deccan Herald. Police said violent protesters stoned police, killing a head constable PTI via Deccan Herald.
Documented The CID chargesheet included a forensic report, backed by eyewitnesses, saying the cow was killed by a lion. It said an Una police station officer added a line that "cow meat was found" around 9:30 pm, hours after the control room alerted the station at about 1:30 pm, and that police did not act for nearly four hours The Wire, citing Indian Express. Special public prosecutor Dipendra Yadav said the police FIR named only six accused, two of them twice, though the victims said more than 40 had assaulted them The Wire.
The Centre's response
Government's position On 20 July Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha the attack was "unfortunate", that Gujarat police had acted swiftly and nine people had been arrested IANS via Business Standard. He cited figures showing atrocities on Dalits in Gujarat had fallen after 2001, and his praise for the state government drew Opposition protests Deccan Herald. Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot said the issue should not be "politicised" IANS via Business Standard.
At a town hall in New Delhi on 6 August, Prime Minister Modi asked states to prepare dossiers on cow protection groups Deccan Herald. The next day in Gajwel, Telangana, he said "the fake gau rakshakhs have nothing to do with cows. They want to create tension in society" IANS via Morung Express.
I would request the state governments to prepare a dossier on cow protection groups and they would find that 70% to 80% of them are anti-social elements.
Narendra Modi, town hall, New Delhi, 6 August 2016 (Deccan Herald)
VHP leader Pravin Togadia called the dossier directive "racial profiling" of Hindus and asked Modi to prove the figure PTI via Sakshi Post. The Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha said it would send the Prime Minister a legal notice The News Minute.
Anandiben Patel's resignation
On 1 August 2016 Anandiben Patel said she was stepping down to honour the BJP's 75-year age line, two months before turning 75, so a successor could prepare for the January investor summit and the 2017 election Outlook. The BJP parliamentary board accepted it on 3 August. Commentators linked her exit to the Patidar quota agitation and the Dalit protests Scroll. Claim · Congress Gujarat in-charge Gurudas Kamat said the resignation was "overdue" because of unrest among Dalits and Patidars PTI via Deccan Herald. State BJP chief Vijay Rupani said no one had asked her to resign Outlook.
CID probe and trial
The CID arrested 43 people, including Una police inspector Nirmalsinh Jhala, a sub-inspector, an assistant sub-inspector and a head constable Newslaundry. A 2019 report put the arrests at 44 Deccan Herald. Its first chargesheet named 34 people The Wire, and it said the alleged mastermind was Shantilal Monpara of the Sanatan Gau Seva Trust. A video transcript annexed to it shows an accused calling one victim a Muslim to incite the others PTI via The Wire.
The trial began in August 2018 ETV Bharat. In July 2019, on Vashram Sarvaiya's plea, the special atrocity court in Veraval ordered day-to-day hearings; his lawyer said only 38 of nearly 300 witnesses had been examined in three years Deccan Herald. On 25 July 2022 the Gujarat High Court granted bail to four main accused after almost six years in jail, noting that the trial had not progressed substantially and that the special public prosecutor had been absent on several occasions PTI via The Wire.
On 16 March 2026 Additional Sessions Judge Jignesh Pandya convicted Ramesh Jadav, Rakesh Joshi, Nagjibhai Vaniya, Pramodgiri Gausvami and Balvantgiri Gausvami under IPC sections on hurt, insult and intimidation and the Atrocities Act. Of 41 accused tried, 35 were acquitted, including three policemen; the case against Inspector Zala abated on his death DeshGujarat Scroll. Deccan Herald and ETV Bharat put the acquittals at 38 Deccan Herald ETV Bharat. Defence lawyer VC Mavadhiya said the prosecution could not establish "who did what" Scroll.
The Free Press Journal reported that each convict was sentenced to five years under the Atrocities Act, with shorter concurrent terms and a Rs 5,000 fine, and that time already served cleared the way for their release Free Press Journal. Vashram Sarvaiya called the ruling "sad", and the family said they would challenge it in the High Court and, if needed, the Supreme Court DeshGujarat.
Later developments: conversion to Buddhism
On 29 April 2018 Balu, Ramesh and Vashram Sarvaiya and other family members converted to Buddhism at Mota Samadhiyala; Balu Sarvaiya said 450 Dalits converted PTI via Tribune. Days earlier, on 25 April, an accused out on bail allegedly charged at Ramesh Sarvaiya and his cousin Ashok with a spade and told them to withdraw the case; police registered a case Scroll.
Hindu cow vigilantes called us Muslims. The kind of discrimination we faced by Hindus pains us and therefore we have decided to convert.
Ramesh Sarvaiya, 29 April 2018 (PTI via Tribune)
In November 2018 Vashram Sarvaiya wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind that former CM Anandiben Patel had not kept the promises she made to the family in 2016 Scroll.
Outcome
- Deaths: A head constable in Amreli after stone pelting, and one protester after a suicide attempt.
- Arrests: 43 by the CID (44 in a 2019 report), including four police officers; 22 more over the Samter attack.
- Cases: 48 cases against rioters by 21 July 2016; 74 rioting incidents counted in the chargesheet.
- Compensation: Rs 1 lakh per victim and medical costs, announced by the state.
- Political: CM Anandiben Patel resigned on 1 August 2016, citing age.
- Verdict: Five convicted on 16 March 2026; 35 to 38 acquitted, including three police officers.
What is still pending
The victims said they would appeal the March 2026 verdict. No ruling on an appeal had been reported by October 2026 in the sources reviewed. The Una march's demand of five acres for each Dalit family was not reported as met, and the family said in 2018 that state promises remained unfulfilled.
Questions people ask
What was the Una flogging incident?
On 11 July 2016, self-styled cow vigilantes attacked a Dalit family skinning a dead cow near Mota Samadhiyala in Una taluka, Gujarat. Four men were stripped, tied to a car, beaten and paraded, and the video went viral.
What did Dalits pledge at the Una rally?
On 15 August 2016, after a 350 km march from Ahmedabad led by Jignesh Mevani's Una Dalit Atyachar Ladat Samiti, thousands pledged to stop removing cow carcasses and demanded five acres of land for each Dalit family.
Did Anandiben Patel resign because of Una?
She said she was resigning because she was about to turn 75. Commentators and the Congress linked the resignation to the Dalit protests and the Patidar quota agitation.
What did PM Modi say about gau rakshaks?
On 6 August 2016 he asked states to prepare dossiers on cow protection groups, saying 70 to 80 per cent were anti-social elements, and on 7 August he urged action against "fake gau rakshaks".
What was the verdict in the Una flogging case?
On 16 March 2026 a Veraval sessions court convicted five accused and acquitted 35 to 38 others. The Free Press Journal reported five-year sentences already covered by time in jail. The victims said they would appeal.
Sources
- PTI via Sakshi Post: Assault on dalits case: CM orders CID probe, sets up special court, 18 July 2016
- The Wire: Protests erupt against Gujarat 'gau rakshaks'; seven Dalits attempt suicide, July 2016
- The Quint: Gujarat Dalit assault: head constable killed, CM to meet victims, 20 July 2016
- PTI via Deccan Herald: Dalit protests spread in Gujarat, cop killed in attack, 20 July 2016
- IANS via Business Standard: Parliament witnesses protests over Una incident, 20 July 2016
- Deccan Herald: Oppn raises Dalit issue, RS adjourned 6 times, 21 July 2016
- Deccan Herald: Day after bandh, protests rage in Una, 22 July 2016
- The Quint: 'Your mother, you bury her': Gujarat Dalits abandon cow carcasses, 29 July 2016
- Outlook: The story behind Anandiben's resignation, 1 August 2016
- PTI via Deccan Herald: Gujarat CM's resignation was long overdue: Congress, 1 August 2016
- Scroll: Anandiben Patel's resignation accepted by the BJP, 3 August 2016
- Deccan Herald: PM slams cow protection biz, 7 August 2016
- IANS via Morung Express: PM asks states to act against fake 'gau rakshaks', 7 August 2016
- The News Minute: Hindu Mahasabha to send legal notice to Modi for 'gau rakshak' remarks, August 2016
- PTI via Sakshi Post: PM has insulted 'gau rakshaks': VHP, 13 August 2016
- Sakshi Post: Dalits vow not to remove dead cows, demand 5 acre land for each family, 16 August 2016
- PTI via Deccan Herald: 22 people arrested for attack on Dalits in Gujarat, 16 August 2016
- The Wire: Una police fudged facts, were negligent in Dalit flogging, says CID chargesheet, 8 September 2016
- Newslaundry: Police and gau rakshaks hand in glove in Una flogging, says CID, 9 September 2016
- PTI via The Wire: Cow vigilantes portrayed Una victim as Muslim to instigate others, 11 July 2017
- PTI via Tribune: Una flogging victims among 450 Dalits who embrace Buddhism, 30 April 2018
- Scroll: Una Dalit family assaulted for skinning a cow in 2016 converts to Buddhism, 30 April 2018
- Deccan Herald: Court orders day-to-day trial in Una Dalit flogging case, 1 July 2019
- Scroll: 2016 Una flogging case: Gujarat court orders daily hearing from July 29, 2 July 2019
- PTI via The Wire: Four Una cow vigilantes accused of flogging Dalit men in 2016 get bail, 26 July 2022
- Deccan Herald: Una Dalit flogging case: five held guilty after ten years, 38 acquitted, 16 March 2026
- ETV Bharat: Una Dalit flogging case: court convicts 5, acquits 38 after nearly a decade, 16 March 2026
- Scroll: Gujarat court convicts five, acquits 35 others in 2016 Una flogging case, March 2026
- DeshGujarat: 2016 Una flogging case: five convicted, 35 acquitted by Gir Somnath court, 17 March 2026
- Free Press Journal: A decade after Una's shame, convicts walk free on time served, 17 March 2026