Homeless in city,Mirchpur Dalits wait for justice

A month after 150 Balmiki families fled Mirchpur village in Hissar (Haryana) to Delhi,their miseries remain unaddressed.

A month after 150 Balmiki families fled Mirchpur village in Hissar (Haryana) to Delhi,their miseries remain unaddressed. Around 50 more people joined the communitys protest in the Capital on Tuesday and are camping at the Valmiki Mandir against the alleged atrocities by the Jat community in their village.

The protest was sparked off by an attack on the Dalit families on April 21,allegedly by Jats in Mirchpur,that left two dead and 35 homes torched. The families say they were forced to leave the village after repeated threats from the Khap panchayat and the Jat community. One of the protesters,Darshana,mother of a five-year-old,says they cannot live in the village under the reign of constant terror. My child has no education,no future and no shelter, she says.

The families are being funded and taken care of by the Haryana Dalit Bachao Sangharsh Samiti. Its convenor O P Shukla says,We want the removal of Bhupinder Singh Hoodas government. Despite repeated assurances,the Haryana government has failed to provide any relief. We have had several meetings with senior Congress leaders Prithviraj Chavan,Oscar Fernandes and Kumari Selja. The matter is still being considerd by the Centre.

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The families who have migrated now want to be relocated to a 500-acre unused government land in Talwandi Rana village of Haryana.

Satyawan (30),one of the protesters,says,An FIR has been lodged against 107 Jats. The criminals must be punished. The attack was pre-planned and supported by the police. We want a proper judicial inquiry.

Similar torching incidents have also been reported earlier from Gohana,Duleena and Jhajjar villages of Haryana,where Dalits had to face atrocities. The cases are pending in the court.

The families reportedly met CM Dikshit on Tuesday morning,who assured them that their demands would be forwarded to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

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