Faridabad attack: Inside Sunpedh, a tale of two areas, divided by suspicion

Even the in-roads inside the villages are marked, they said.Sunpedh’s population of 6,000 comprises nearly 300 Rajput families and 100 Dalit ones, said Sarpanch Jal Singh.

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“The divide is prominent in this village. They (Rajputs) do not come to this area. We do not go to theirs. Our routes are different,” said Singh.

He became the village sarpanch in January, after Jagmal, his predecessor was arrested last year in connection with the killing of three men from the Rajput community.

When the house of Jitender was burnt down in the early hours of Tuesday morning, killing two of his children who were sleeping inside, most of the locals were away. They were attending a jagraata — part of the ongoing Navratra celebrations — barely 50 meters away from the house.

“This is the season of celebrations. But Dalits and Rajputs never come together, not even during the jagraatas,” said Singh.

In the part of the village inhabitated by the Rajput community, women were huddled in groups inside their houses. “Our women do not even go to the terrace as it overlooks their,” said one of the locals.

When queried about the tense situation in the village , Police Commissioner Subhash Yadav claimed that the incident “was not about the place but two families”.