In a horrifying incident two children of a Dalit family died after they were burnt alive when their house was set on fire allegedly by upper caste men in Haryana’s Faridabad district on Tuesday.
While the children died of burns in the hospital, their parents received serious injuries. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) immediately sought a report from the State Government. Home Minister Rajnath Singh also asked Chief Minister Manohar Khattar to ensure security of Dalits and prevent any recurrence of such an incident.
The incident took place despite the police protection given to the Dalit family. Soon after the police came to know about it, a heavy contingent was deployed on the spot. Since morning, there has been heavy tension in the village after the Dalits alleged the involvement of the upper caste men behind the incident.
The incident has deepened fears for the safety of Dalits in the Jat land of Haryana. Incidentally, it was almost a repeat of the Mirchpur carnage of Hisar in 2010, when
a physically challenged Dalit woman and her father had been burnt alive by the Jats of the same village.
The incident occurred around 2 am in Son Ped Village on the outskirts of Delhi when the family was asleep. The father of the children Jitender alleged that the attackers were from Rajput caste and the family had a confrontation with them in October. He claimed that the attackers had threatened to finish his family off.
“We were sleeping when they poured petrol from the window. I smelt the petrol and tried to wake my wife up but by then the fire had already spread. My children died in the fire…They had asked me to leave the village else they would finish my family. I won’t return to this village anymore but please give me back my children,” said a bitterly weeping Jitender.
Jitender along with his wife Rekha have been moved to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital for treatment. Rekha has suffered 70 per cent burns and is critical while the couples’ two-and-a-half-years old son Vaibhav and 11-month-old daughter Divya died on the spot.
Khattar has declared a high-level probe into the matter besides announcing compensation of `10 lakh to the surviving victims. The heinous crime took place at a time when the BJP-ruled Haryana Government is celebrating one year in office. Terming the incident as “very unfortunate” Khattar has assured a speedy probe into the case.
Replying to a question, Khattar said that some old enmity could be the reason behind the gruesome incident, though a thorough probe was on to investigate from all angles
Giving information about this brutal incident, Haryana Director General of Police, Yashpal Singhal said that the gruesome murder occurred on the intervening night of October 19 and 20 in village Son Ped of Faridabad.
Some criminals burnt a Jatav family of the same village when they were sleeping inside a room in their house. The local police reached the spot and investigating officers have started investigation.
The DGP said, “A case under 148/149/452/ 307/302/436/34 IPC and SC/ST Act has been registered against 11 accused on the statement of the injured Jitender in Police Station Sadar Ballabgarh, Faridabad. A special investigating team has been formed to probe the incident.”
The case is being investigated by a special team of police officers under Gajender Singh, ACP, Ballabgarh. Forensic Science Team from Faridabad and Madhuban have collected physical clues which are being examined. Three accused persons namely Balwant, Dharam Singh and Kartar have been arrested by the police.
The DGP informed that the incident has its history in a murder case which occurred on October 5 last year in which the victim family was involved in murdering three persons of the accused family. Case was registered on October 6, 2014 under Section 148/149/323/324/302 IPC at PS Sadar Ballabgarh in this regard.
Since the incident has led to high tension in the area, police have tightened security in the village. Union Minister of Social Justice Thawar Chand Gehlot assured all assistance to the victim’s parents.
“The Haryana Government has extended them all the help including medical treatment and financial assistance. We are in constant touch with the Haryana Chief Minister in this regard. If more help is required, we will look into it,” Gehlot said. He added that Minister of State for Social Justice Krishna Pal Singh, also the local MP, is keeping a close tab on the situation.