Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday asked the Congress-led Punjab Government to take steps to protect the life and property of Dalits in the State who were facing brutal attacks at the hands of Congress workers solely because they had exercised their franchise against the party.
The Dalit community was feeling unsafe across the State and was in the grip of a fear psychosis, said SAD president Sukhbir Badal, who is also former Deputy Chief Minister.
He said: “The wave of violence unleashed against the Dalits threatens to offset the egalitarian society established in the region by our great Gurus. The Dalits were incorporated into the mainstream of society by our Gurus who embraced untouchables with Guru Gobind Singh terming ‘rangreta’ as ‘guru ke beta’. It is condemnable that such a society, created after a massive reform movement, is being torn asunder by the Congress party solely for petty political gains.”
SAD president said the Congress party workers and leaders were targeting Dalits “systematically” wherever they had not voted for the party to “teach them a lesson as well as frighten them into supporting the Congress henceforth”.
Sukhbir said attempts were being made across the State to target Dalit political leaders, be it at the panchayat, municipal committee and corporation or the Zila Parishad and Samiti.
Asking the Congress Government to take action against its leaders who were indulging in atrocities against Dalits as well as police officers who were supporting them instead of following the rule of law, he said: “If this is not done, SAD would launch a state-wide agitation to ensure justice to all victims of Dalit atrocities.”