Amid sharp criticism from the Opposition over the Faridabad incident, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar on Thursday visited the family of the two Dalit children who were burnt alive at Sunpedh Village and said the incident should not be given a “political or casteist colour”.
Khattar, who was expected to meet the family on Wednesday, had to defer the visit in the wake of protests by angry locals.
Two toddlers, two-and-a-half-year-old Vaibhav and 9-month-old Divya died after their house was set on fire by members of an upper caste community on the intervening night of October 19 and 20. Their mother Rekha is currently in hospital with 70 per cent burns while father Jitender also sustained injuries in the incident.
During the 15-minute-long meeting with the family, the Chief Minister assured the family that the State Government would bear the cost of treatment of the injured mother, Rekha, who is recuperating in Safdarjung Hospital.
He assured Jitender and his family members that the culprits would be brought to justice after investigation. Khattar also handed over a cheque of `10 lakh to the aggrieved family.
While talking to the mediapersons, the Chief Minister said that the CBI enquiry is already marked into this incident. So far, six of the 11 accused have been arrested and the others would be nabbed soon. Eight Police personnel who had been deployed for the protection of the victim family have been suspended for showing grave misconduct in discharging their duties, said he.