PALANPUR/AHMEDABAD: Chief minister Vijay Rupani on Friday ordered a probe into the self-immolation by 65-year-old Dalit rights activist Bhanubhai Vankar on Thursday in Patan over alleged delay in allotment of land to Dalit families.The probe team will be headed by chief secretary J N Singh. Rupani also announced free treatment for Vankar in the private hospital where he is struggling for life with over 90% burn injuries. Doctors said that Vankar was on life support. “The government will bear all medical expenses of the Dalit man (Vankar) who tried to immolate himself outside Patan collector's office. The state government will also ensure that he gets the best treatment,” Rupani said in a statement. “The government will take appropriate action after getting all the details,” he added.Vankar had immolated himself at Patan collectorate campus on Thursday to protest delay in allotment of land to Dalit families. Vankar had earlier on February 7 given a memorandum to Patan collector urging him to regularize 8.5 hectare land in question in Dudkha village in Sami taluka of Patan and also warned of self-immolation on February 15 if their demands were not met.Dudkha resident Hemaben Vankar , a landless Dalit farm labourer, had alleged that the district authorities were not allotting a piece of land to her family despite collecting Rs 22,236 in 2013 for the transfer.However, Patan collector Anand Patel claimed that the delay in allocation was caused because Hemaben could not be contacted for verification.Patan collector Anand Patel told TOI, “The collector office had recommended to the state government that the land in question be regularised based on application by Heemaben in 2015. However, after we got the nod from government we tried to contact Heemaben but she was not found at the address she had provided. Also, as there was no telephone number she could not be contacted.”Patel said that police have lodged an FIR in the immolation case. The probe will be headed by additional superintendent of police Siddhpur SJ Vala.Meanwhile, on Friday, over two dozen members of Dalit community were detained in Ahmedabad for blocking roads and demanding justice for Vankar.Patan town too shut down over the incident and members of Dalit rights groups staged protest rallies across the town demanding justice for Vankar and other Dalits waiting for allotment of land. The protest was led by independent MLA from Vadgam Jignesh Mewani, who also met Patan collector and submitted memorandum seeking against those responsible for the delay.Members of the Dalit community also held protest rallies Vankar’s hometown Unjha and submitted memorandum to mamlatdar there.Vankar has been fighting for Dalit rights since last 40 years and has also been campaigning against superstition in the society. He had also been fighting for 35 Dalit families from Valangna village of Unjh since last seven years.“Vankar has been fighting for over 100 bigha land which in name of 35 dalit families in Valagana village. But the families have not got the possession,” said Vishnu Solanki of Valagana village.“Vankar is a fighter. I cannot understand why he took such an extreme step,” Solanki added.

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