NEW DELHI, 2 September 2005 — Angry protesters blocked national highway and burned a vehicle yesterday to protest against torching of 60 houses of Dalits in Gohana village near Sonepat by upper caste villagers.
Caste tensions following the torching of the Dalit settlement Wednesday persisted yesterday.
The Dalit panchayat in Gohana has called for a statewide strike today and a nationwide one on Monday to voice their anguish at a mob setting on fire the Balmiki Basti, with about 60 houses.
Addressing a press conference in Gohana, Haryana Chief Minster Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the guilty would be punished.
“We are with the Dalits. They are our brothers. The guilty will not be spared,” he said, adding that he would consider the demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into Wednsday’s incident. Though no one was hurt, over 1,000 Dalit families have left Gohana, fearing for their lives.
The incident had occurred even as a panchayat of 12 villages was being held and senior district officials were present. The razing of their homes came when upper caste Jats launched an attack in apparent retaliation for some Dalits murdering a businessman, Baljit, belonging to their clan on Aug. 27.
“Some people of the Balmiki Village had committed murder of a man from a neighboring village,” said A.K. Roy, senior superintendent of police, Sonipat.
The Dalits claim that the BJP Member of Parliament Kishan Singh Sangwan’s son was involved in the attack. However, Sangwan has denied his son’s involvement. — Additional input from IANS.
