Sunday, Oct 20, 2002
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By Vinay Kumar
Leading a demonstration of LJS workers and Dalit Sena activists here to protest the alleged lynching of the five Dalit youths in Jhajjar, Haryana, the former Union Minister described the incident as the "worst form of communalism.'' He alleged that the Dalits had, in fact, been killed by police after being tortured. Addressing his party workers before courting arrest at Jantar Mantar, Mr. Paswan said that he had visited Jhajjar on Friday to examine the veracity of the allegations against the victims for which they had been reportedly lynched. "Prima facie, they appear to be victims of police atrocities. And it is police which appears to be spreading the story of lynching by the mob to save their own skin,'' he said. "What is most disturbing is the fact that a local Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader reportedly extended support to the killers saying that those who killed the Dalits for skinning dead cows have done the right thing and cannot be arrested.'' Describing it as the "worst kind of communalism,'' Mr. Paswan said: "After targeting people belonging to the minority community in other BJP and NDA-ruled States, they have begun targeting Dalits in Haryana, which is being ruled by another NDA partner, headed by Om Prakash Chautala. The Prime Minister must intervene in the matter and see to it that the blatant spread of communalism is promptly checked.'' Mr. Paswan had found that the Dulina police post still bore evidence of the torture. The five Dalit youths traded in animal hides and on the fateful day, they were intercepted by police who allegedly demanded money from them, he said. As they refused, they were allegedly beaten and tortured in custody resulting in their death. Condemning the incident and demanding an impartial probe into it, the Lok Jan Shakti leaders later courted arrest in support of their demand. Besides Mr. Paswan, the former Union Minister, Arif Mohammad Khan, and the Haryana LJP chief, Shamsher Singh Mallik, also courted arrest. Meanwhile, the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the incident. "The NCDHR warns those who defend such kind of activities and also gives a call for nationwide agitation to protect the honour, dignity and human rights of Dalits," the NCDHR national co-convenor, Vimal Thorat, said. Rajesh Ahuja reports from Chandigarh: The Jhajjar District Police are finding it difficult to make any headway in identifying and nabbing the members of the mob which allegedly lynched the five Dalits on Tuesday in Dulina, following tacit pressure from the VHP activists who are believed to be shielding the perpetrators. Reports said the Divisional Commissioner of Rohtak, R. R. Bainswal, had started his enquiry into the circumstances leading to the mob violence. There was peace in the district and no major political leader visited the area, barring a Bajrang Dal leader. The Haryana Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala, had said on Friday that some of the culprits had been `identified' and would be arrested soon. While there was no reaction whatsoever from the Haryana BJP leaders, the BJP national president, Venkaiah Naidu, sought to distance the party from the VHP stand by condemning the incident and demanding the "strongest possible punishment" for the guilty. According to reliable sources, Mr. Naidu also deputed Harshvardhan, party vice-president in-charge of Haryana, to visit Jhajjar and submit a detailed report.
Dalit girl `raped, killed'
Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said that a six-year old Dalit girl died after she was reportedly abducted and raped by unidentified persons in Dongra village in Narnaul district. Sources said that the girl was kidnapped while she was sleeping with her grandmother. Irate villagers blocked several roads and demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits. The sources said that the incident could add fuel to the fire. However, there was no word from the State Government regarding this `fresh incident.'
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