Rahul offers hope but not enough reason for Mirchpur Dalits to return

Gandhi’s visit,which was meant to be seen as statement of ‘strong disapproval’ of the way things were handled by the state government both before and after the incident,was followed by the arrest of Station House Officer Vinod Kajal and the district Tehsildar on May 1. Both were booked in an FIR lodged on April 22 accusing them of colluding with the Jat community and allowing the incident to happen.

Both Kajal and the Tehsildar will be kept in judicial custody till May 6 and have been booked under the SC/ST Act and the IPC for murder. According to Superintendent of Police Subhash Yadav,the police has arrested 31 of the 43 men from the Jat community named in the FIR lodged by the Dalit group.

While the state government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families affected and a government job to the members of the family of the two deceased,the Dalits have,as a measure of protest,refused to go back to their village. Kamla Devi,Tarachand’s wife and Suman’s mother has refused to take the compensation amount of Rs 10 lakh.

“I will not go back to the village. They killed my husband and daughter there,” says Kamla who was taken to the district hospital earlier during the day after she fainted on Sunday morning. Kamla’s son Deepak (18) adds,“Rahul Gandhi visited the village and said that he would speak to the chief minister and ensure that such incidents do not happen again. But we do not want to go back.”

Gandhi’s visit seems to have given the Dalits the hope of a new home outside the caste lines drawn in their village. “We want a new plot of land and they could call it Rajiv Basti if they want,” offered Jaswant Kumar,whose house was completely burnt down in the violence. “This tension between them and us has always been a part of our lives. But what is the point of going back now…my entire house along with my belongings were charred in the fire. There is no reason to go back,” Jaswant adds.

According to a fact-finding team comprising activists from NGOs National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights and ANHAD along with journalists that had visited the village three days after the incident,Mirchpur has a handful of Dalits: about 100 Balmiki families and 350 ‘Jatav’ families against the 1700-odd Jat families.

According to Shabnam Hashmi of ANHAD,the team found that the violent attack was only ‘ostensibly’ about a dog being pelted with a brick. “It was a manifestation of long -tension between the two communities. They specifically attacked the well-off in the village that happened to be Dalits….three houses had weddings planned and they particularly damaged things like television sets that often are a symbol of well being in villages,” she said. The team found that one of the reasons for the clash was a contract for building a fish pond being awarded to a Dalit contractor.

The families that have been camping at the district office are being supported by Dalit action groups and NGOs for their daily supply of food. An ambulance and a doctor from the district hospital visits the camp twice everyday,treating villagers for dehydration. “It is very hot and most of the patients are women. Kamla Devi herself has fainted twice in the last 24 hours,” says Dr SP Singh while sorting out the packets of glucose and tablets meant to be given to the group. “Security forces have been deployed in the area to make Dalit families feel secure,’ Deputy Commissioner (Hisar) O P Sheron,said.

While the matter has acquired political overtones over the last few days,increasing after Gandhi’s visit,Tarachand’s own family is divided on the issue of compensation. Elder son Amar Lal has taken his share of the compensation and taken the job of a clerk,while the other two brothers are on the dharna.

“He is the son of my husband’s first wife. This is very unfortunate,” Kamla Devi says.

While Amar Lal conducted the thirteenth day ceremony,meant to mark the end of mourning for his father on Friday,Kamla Devi and her two sons conducted the ceremony at the district office on Sunday morning. “We will not budge till we are given a new house,” Deepak adds. Back in the village Amar Lal says,“I have to rebuild the house and there is no point sitting there. We need to get on with our lives,” he said. Amar Lal joined the district office as a clerk on Monday.

Meanwhile,the Village Panchayat,represented by all members of the community met the agitating Dalits on Monday morning. “We have spoken to them and have assured them safety. This matter has to end and they can’t stay out of the village for ever,” said advocate Manphool Singh,who headed the Panchayat.

“ The Dalits will get back to us on this on Wednesday,” he added.