Punjab Congress has alleged that Dalit atrocities have increased manifold in the last nine-year rule of the SAD-BJP combine Government in Punjab.
Continuing the ‘Samaaj Jodo’ campaign in Malwa region, Padam Shree and senior Congress leader Hans Raj Hans on Sunday said that the complaints with Punjab State Schedule Castes Commission against atrocities on Dalits has increased to 7,709 in 2015 as compared to 473 in 2007.
He declared that the Congress party, if voted to power, will reopen all these cases of Dalit atrocities in the State of Punjab, “which the Akalis have influenced and closed with muscle power and money power”.
He said: “Congress will get the Dalit community their rights back and give them appropriate compensation and also the accused won’t be spared.”
“Congress party will constitute an independent inquiry commission for early and time bound solution to all these cases,” he added.
Showing his solidarity towards the Dalits, Hans said that Punjab has faced major embarrassment in Moga bus tragedy and Abohar Bhim Tank case. “The list is endless and there are number of those cases where the poor people don’t come forward to report against these powerful influential politicians,” he added.
The singer-turned-politician said that Punjab, today, has 35 per cent Dalit population, which is one of the highest in any State of the country “but the Dalits are unsafe here”.
“The buses of SAD-BJP politicians either crush daily poor people or they commit suicide because of poor financial conditions. The Government is totally silent on the condition of these communities,” he said.
The Congress leader said that the party demanded that buses belonging to the Akali leaders should be withdrawn from the roads immediately as they are “killer buses for the poor people of Punjab and safe haven for the drug peddlers to transit drugs”.