JHADLI (MAHENDERGARH), DECEMBER 13: They first killed a girl belonging to their caste for loving a lower-caste boy. Seven months later, the Ahir boy, Nityanand, who dared to fall in love with the Brahmin girl was slain along with three of his brothers.One of the most shocking incidents of caste violence in Haryana took place in Jhadli village, hardly 200 km from the Capital, on Friday. Armed assailants hacked the four brothers and dragged their mutilated bodies for some distance and dumped them. The police have arrested the brother-in-law and nephews of local BJP MLA Ram Vilas Sharma in the case and are on the lookout for seven others.According to the villagers, Nityanand from the neighbouring Chhittroli village was in love with a Brahmin girl from Jhadli for the past two years - a relationship that the community did not approve of.The accused allegedly killed the girl and were since on the lookout for Nityanand to avenge the ``dishonour'' to their community. On Friday evening, when Nityanand visited the village sarpanch, the MLA's brother-in-law, Durga Prasad and his three sons, along with Bola Pandit, the girl's father, and his four sons, all armed with swords, axes and iron rods, allegedly attacked him.As the news of his attack reached the neighbouring Chhittroli village, Nityanand's brothers - Mahender, Sajjan, Sanjay and Gopal, all between 15 and 25 years of age - rushed to his rescue where the waiting assailants attacked them one after the other. While the four brothers were killed on the spot, Gopal managed to escape and reach his village.As the news of the murders spread, the residents of the neighbouring five villages laid a siege of the Jhadli village and refused to let the police take the bodies away. It was only on Saturday afternoon when Haryana's Inspector General of Police, along with the local Deputy Commissioner and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) assured them of an impartial inquiry and stringent action against the killers, that the villagers stopped the dharna.In an FIR lodged with the police, Gopiram Ahir, father of the deceased, has named Bola Pandit and his sons and Durga Prasad's family, saying that the MLA's brother-in-law, who is the head of the community, used his influence and instigated Bola Pandit.When the girl was found killed seven months ago, a case of murder was registered against her brothers.Meanwhile, the police have entrusted the investigation to Karnail Singh Cheema, DSP of the neighbouring district Rewari to maintain impartiality in view of the allegations of political patronage. Cheema on Saturday told The Indian Express that no amount of political pressure would influence the investigation and the culprits would be put behind the bars.
