Jhajjar effect: More Dalits ‘switch’ faith

At least 100 Dalits converted to Buddhism all over Haryana on Diwali, the All India Confederation of SC, ST and Backward Caste Organisations has claimed.

Police rescue three ‘caught skinning dead calf’

PANIPAT: Close on the heels of lynching of five Dalits for allegedly skinning a cow in Haryana, three more persons of the community were beaten up in another village of the state and handed over to the police on similar allegations before village elders found them not guilty on Tuesday. The three, all residents of Chamra village in Panipat, were caught allegedly skinning a calf on Sunday. They were beaten up by villagers before being handed over to the police, police sources said. A panchayat has ‘‘unanimously’’ resolved that they were not guilty as the calf was already dead, Haryana Assembly Speaker Satbir Kadian said. (PTI)

The conversions took place simultaneously in Rohtak, Fatehabad, Bhivani, Sonipat, Narnaul, Kurukshetra, Ambala and Daddumajra (Chandigarh), Karamvir Singh, Haryana president of the confederation, said. Earlier, some persons had converted in protest against the Jhajjar killings.

‘‘My caste was the biggest impediment. Fellow students and my guide always looked down upon me, passed remarks,’’ said Jogender Singh, a PhD student of Entomology at Panjab University, who confirmed his conversion at Daddumajra yesterday. He said his brother had embraced Buddhism two years ago.

An agency report said five Dalits yesterday embraced Buddhism in Rohtak . The converts included sons of Jage Ram, a leader of the confederation. The agency quoted Rohtak DC Ashok Kumar Yadav as saying that he would order an inquiry.