Mirchpur nurses its wounds,untouched by poll frenzy

Villagers blame politicians for their fate,tell Hisar bypoll candidates to stay out.

Part of the poll-bound Hisar Lok Sabha constituency,Mirchpur looks an island of silence amid the cacophony created by a high-voltage campaign all around. Fleet after fleet of cars passes by but no candidate halts to seek votes for the October 13 bypoll,being held following the death of former chief minister Bhajan Lal.

We dont want any politicians around and we have told them to stay away, Chander Prakash,who currently leads the Jat community of the village,explains to The Indian Express,because our village has fallen into its present state because of politicians.

Mirchpur is yet to recover from last years violence. An elderly Dalit,Tara Chand,and his physically-challenged daughter were burnt to death on April 21,2010,after a crowd of the dominant Jat community torched a number of houses following a quarrel between some youths belonging to both sections. A total of 97 persons were later put on trial; 82 of them were acquitted while the other 15 were held guilty under various sections and are waiting for their sentences.

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Indian National Lok Dal candidate Ajay Chautala had made a programme to visit Mirchpur for votes,says Chander Prakash,but we told him not to bother us. Chautala dropped the programme.

The Jats first priority is to somehow buy peace with the Balmikis as they plan an appeal following the conviction of youths of their community. They have made several overtures,the latest being a written invitation on the letterhead of a Haryana chief parliamentary secretary to work out an agreement to ensure amity in the village. The proposal has been jointly made by Chander Prakash,Devi Singh and Balbir Singh,a retired CRPF DSP.

There is no way we can accept the peace offer, says Rajmal,a Dalit chowkidar. What can we decide when a large number of people,who had fled after the attack,have not returned to the village? says Sanjay Kumar,standing next to him.

The houses freshly built for Dalits stand out from the rest. Each is painted yellow and numbered distinctly,and has the name of the owner in bold letters. Several of them,however,are unoccupied. Kamla w/o Tara Chand, an empty house proclaims. The gates and doors are wide open; wild shrubs on the compound stand testimony that the surviving members of Tara Chands family have never thought about coming back since that night.

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There is a permanent police post close to the Balmiki Mohalla and its men can be seen all around. However,the Dalits have not yet overcome their fear. My nephew Ajmer Singh was beaten up after the court verdict, Chander Singh says.

Praveen Kumar,husband of Mahendro,a Dalit member of the panchayat,says the polling booth for Balmikis is very far from where they live and they are scared of going there. We dont know what might happen to us on the way, he says.

Either section has a partisan view,and neither wants anything to do with the election,but there is one striking exception. Suresh Balmiki blames anti-social elements on both sides for the trouble. Over the last few years,he has been swearing by peace and become a regular feature among the band of followers who surround Haryana PWD Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala. He accompanies Surjewala when he campaigns for Congress nominee Jai Prakash. As such,Suresh Balmiki stands out as an island within the island.