Representatives of the boycotted Dalit and Backward
communities of Bhagana village are sitting on a ‘dharna’ outside the Hisar Deputy
Commissioner’s office for the last six months. Neither the state nor the
central government is paying any heed to him. The National Commission for
Scheduled Castes and the National Human Rights Commission have failed to settle
the issue.
Recently, Vedpal Singh Tanwar, who extended support
to the Bhagana protest, was framed in a concocted case.
Tanwar, it may be mentioned here, has been
patronising the Dalits of Mirchpur and Bhagana, who were victims of atrocities
of the Jats. The Mirchpur Dalits are still forced to take shelter in Tanwar’s
farmhouse.
How the local administration is trying to play dirty
tricks is evident by a recent incident. On the night of 14 August 2012, Suman,
a 30-year-old woman was bitten by a snake at Tanwar’s farmhouse and next day
she died. The local police immediately registered a case under sections 342,
304 and 297 of the IPC on the ground that Ved Pal Singh Tanwar deliberately did
not arrange Allopathic treatment for the woman was therefore responsible for
her death. Tanwar was arrested and thrown behind the bars. Pinki, the husband
of the deceased told the court that he had not got any case registered against
Tanwar. Mother Mela Devi, father Bishna and brother Rajesh of the deceased also
vouched for Tanwar’s innocence in the court. Ultimately, the court, on 10 Sep
2012 granted bail to Tanwar on a personal surety of Rs. 10,000.
Hisar’s Deputy Commissioner Amit Agarwal has a
different take on the issue. Talking to FORWARD Press on phone, he dubbed
Tanwar as “an inconsequential leader”. He said that ‘Tanwar’s sole preoccupation
was to fan casteist issues”. As for the Dalits sitting on a dharna under open
sky outside his office, Agarwal says that the administration has been trying to
arrive at a compromise with them for the last several weeks. But every time,
the protesters come out with a new problem. He said that a permanent police
post has been set-up in the village for the protection of the Dalits.
Anyway, the question before the boycotted Dalits is
where do they go. (Published in Forward Press, October 2012 Issue)
Forward Press.
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