On 20 October 2015, two dalit children, one aged three years and the other all of nine months, were burnt alive when as some upper caste Rajputs set their home on fire. Their parents too suffered injuries and the mother was admitted to hospital in a critical condition. Soon after this horrific incident, on 22 October 2015, the CPI (ML) Team comprising of CPI (ML) Haryana in charge, Com. Prem Singh, CPI (ML) activist Aslam Khan, National Secretary of RYA, Com. Omprasad, AICCTU activist Com. Abhishek and journalist Raziv Raaz, visited the Sunped Village where this gruesome incident had occurred. The team met the villagers and family members of Jitendra, the father of the two children who were burnt alive, and spoke at length with them. The team is of the opinion that the Haryana Government. must take responsibility for this barbaric attack as Jitendra’s Family was under Police Protection when the attack happened. The team will release a detailed report very soon.
CPI (ML) also held a protest outside Haryana Bhawan on 24 October 2015. The protestors not only expressed anger over the burning alive of the two children and the failure of the government to protect them, despite the awareness that the life of the family was in threat, but also over increasing atrocities against Dalits in Haryana. Soon after this gruesome incidence of violence against Dalits that had taken place on 20 October, On 23 October 2015, yet another incident of violence against Dalits was reported. A 15-year-old Dalit boy, who had been charged with theft of a pigeon, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Haryana’s Gohana town today. The boy of the family alleged torture by the police, however, even before the post-mortem report was out, the Haryana Chief Minister went on record backing police claims that the boy had committed suicide. CPI (ML) leaders addressing the protestors pointed out how such incidents of violence against Dalits had been increasing in Haryana. They also pointed out that not only had the BJP government in Haryana failed to protect the Dalits in the state, the statements being issued by the Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar and ministers like V.K. Singh had further exposed BJP’s real intentions.
The protestors demanded that the Minister of State for External Affairs V. K. Singh be sacked for his insensitive and shocking remarks comparing deceased Dalit children to dogs and the burning alive of humans to pelting stones at dogs.
Activists from AICCTU and AISA also joined the protest.
