Veraval: A sessions court in Gir Somnath district on Monday convicted five persons and acquitted 35 others in the 2016 Una flogging case, in which four Dalit men were assaulted by alleged cow vigilantes, triggering nationwide protests.

The verdict was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge Jignesh Pandya in Veraval. The court will hear arguments on the quantum of punishment on Tuesday.

Complainant Vashram Sarvaiya, one of the victims, expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling and said the family would challenge the verdict in the High Court and, if necessary, in the Supreme Court. His father Balu Sarvaiya also said they would continue the legal battle in higher courts.

District Government Pleader Ketansinh Vala said the Special Atrocity Court convicted the five accused under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The offences include causing hurt with weapons, wrongful confinement, intentional insult, breach of peace and humiliating members of the Scheduled Caste community.

The convicted persons are Ramesh Jadav, Rakesh Joshi, Nagjibhai Vaniya, Pramodgiri Gausvami and Balvantgiri Gausvami.

A total of 41 accused, including four policemen from Una police station, were tried in the case. Proceedings against then police inspector Nirmalsinh Zala were abated after his death, while the remaining three policemen — Narendradev Pandey, Kanchan Parmar and Kanjibhai Chudasama — were acquitted.

Defence lawyer V.C. Mavadhiya said the prosecution could not establish specific roles of several accused, leading to the acquittal of 35 persons. He added that the offences carry a maximum punishment of five years and the convicted persons have already spent more than five years in jail.

The incident took place on July 11, 2016, near Mota Samadhiyala village in Una taluka, when the victims, who were skinning dead cattle, were allegedly attacked on suspicion of cow slaughter. They were tied to a vehicle, beaten with sticks and iron pipes, and paraded in Una. Videos of the assault went viral, sparking protests across Gujarat and other parts of the country. DeshGujarat