AMN /
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has recommended a CBI probe into the Sunped village Dalit burning incident in Faridabad district.
Mr. Khattar, who earlier announced that he would pay a visit to the victims’ place, canceled his visit.
Earlier, protesters agreed to lift the blockade on Faridabad -Mathura road after police used mild force to disperse them.The relatives of the victim family have agreed to cremate the bodies of minors who wee killed in the incident.
According to police sources seven out of eleven persons responsible for the incident, have been arrested .
Relatives of the Dalit family who were burnt alive by dominant community in Suped village of Faridabad today lashed out at the local police for “not providing” adequate security cover to them.
Vijay, brother of Jitender whose two children were charred to death, said: “The police did not take the issue seriously despite being aware of grave threat to Dalits from upper caste members in the village.”
He said fearing threat almost all 50 Dalit families had fled the village a year ago. Thereafter, three constables were deployed in the village for their security.
“My brother had returned to the village along with his family around two months ago, following assurances by the police. Where had the personnel gone when the attack took place?” he said.
“Dalits in the village are often harassed by the upper caste members on flimsy grounds and the police always ignore our complaints against them,” he said.
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A local resident, said: “The social atmosphere in the village was very cordial till the triple murder took place last year.” Ramsharan, another villager, blames it on declaring the sarpanch’s post open to the general category. “The upcoming panchayat polls may have prompted Rajputs to attack Dalits,” he said. With Jitender’s claim of being present in the house at the time of the attack under scanner, the police said the matter was being probed from all angles.
Meanwhile 4 cops Inspector Anil Kumar, officer-in-charge of Ballabgarh, and constables Bali Mohammed, Vikas and Sandeep have been suspended for dereliction of duty.
All three were posted in the village to protect the three Dalit families. The incident took place when the Dalit family was asleep. The two doors of their house were locked from outside and petrol was poured on the house before it was set on fire. Roopwati, wife of arrested accused Kartar, said her husband was innocent and was being framed wrongly. “The police are biased and acting without looking into the real cause,” she alleged.
In a suspected case of inter-caste violence, two children of a Dalit family were burnt alive and their parents suffered injuries after some persons, reportedly belonging to an upper caste, set their house afire at Sunped village of Faridabad district around 3am on Tuesday.
While two-year-old Vaibhav and nine-month-old Divya died on the spot, their mother Rekha was admitted to Safdarjang Hospital with 25 per cent “deep burns” and father Jitender was discharged after being treated for minor burns on his forearms.
Police Commissioner Subhash Yadav said: “Three persons have been arrested so far, though nine have been named in the FIR. Adequate police force has been deployed in the village to ensure law and order.”
A case under relevant sections of the IPC and SC/ST Act has been registered. Those arrested have been identified as village former sarpanch Balwant Singh, Jagat and Kartar.
Deputy Commissioner Amit Aggarwal said: “The situation is under control and the government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the victims.”
Besides a team of the National SC/ST Commission, former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, Udit Raj, BJP MP from north-west Delhi, and Ramdas Athawale, Republic Party of India MP from Maharashtra visited the village.