As many as nine Dalits were injured when nearly 20 people allegedly from upper caste attacked them following an argument in Hisar district's Mirchpur village, from where CRPF troops were withdrawn only last month after a gap of six years.
Following the fresh inter-caste violence, tension has once again gripped Mirchpur, where two Dalits were burnt alive in an inter-caste violence in 2010.
According to the police officials, the villagers were on Monday night watching a cycle show when some persons present there allegedly passed a caste-related comment on a Dalit youth who had won a race.
When the Dalits objected to the comment, a group of people belonging to higher community allegedly attacked them and injured nine Dalits. The people injured in the clash were taken to the civil hospital in Hisar for treatment.
While a large number of police personnel, headed by superintendent of police Rajendra Kumar Meena and deputy commissioner Nikhil Gajraj were deployed to prevent violence in the area following Monday’s incident, Dalit families reportedly left the village fearing backlash from the people from upper community.
“The situation in village is under control and extra police force has been deployed in the village to avoid any untoward incident,” the SP said, adding in-charge of Mirchpur Chowki has been transferred.
He said that a case under section 148 (rioting), 149 (if an offence be committed by any member of an unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of IPC and under the provisions of the SC/ST Act has been registered against 15 persons.
Nearly seven years ago, two people were burnt alive in an inter-caste violence in the same Mirchpur village.
CRPF had been deployed in Mirchpur when allegedly a group of villagers belonging to upper caste torched over a dozen houses belonging to Dalits on April 21, 2010 in which a 19-year-old polio-stricken girl and her aged father were charred to death.
The incident was triggered by an argument between some Dalit youths and upper caste men after a person from the latter faction had thrown a stone at a dog which was barking at him. He was passing through a Dalit locality in the village.
The Mirchpur incident was a reflection of longstanding and deep-rooted acrimony between dalits, considered as the lower caste and Jats, considered as upper caste in Haryana.
The CRPF troops were withdrawn last year and a 20-member committee had been formed earlier to maintain harmony in the village.