Dalits refuse to go back to their homes

Amit Aggarwal,Deputy Commissioner,Hisar,expressed his helplessness in meeting the protesters’ ‘illegitimate demands’.

“Out of 340 Dalit families in the village,only 40 are alleging atrocities. The boundary wall was raised around the Chowk by the Gram Panchayat. The Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (leading the protests) had approached the civil court,but their plea was dismissed in favour of the Panchayat,” Aggarwal said.

He said that initially the panchayat had left only a three-feet gap in the boundary wall for accessing the chowk,but after “our intervention the gap was increased to eight feet. There is no bar on anybody accessing the chowk.” After the boundary wall was raised,two Dalit family marriages have taken place at the chowk,he added.

The protesters,he said,now want the administration to register criminal cases against the members of upper caste on charges of atrocities. “A case filed by some families in the civil court was dismissed for lack of evidence. How can we register a criminal case now? They can approach a higher court,” Aggarwal said.

Meanwhile,Virender Bagoria,who is leading the protests in New Delhi,said,“The district administration neither agreed to demolish the boundary wall,nor have they registered a criminal case against those named by us. We will not end agitation till our demands are met”. He said some Lok Sabha MPs have assured to raise the issue in the Parliament.