Fatehabad: Members of Dalit community protest against Haryana BJP chief over demolition of Ravidas Temple

Members of Dalit community protested against Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala in Tohana here on Sunday against the demolition of Ravidas Temple in Delhi.

Barala was here to take part in a programme organised by party workers in Indira Colony.

The protestors also allegedly assaulted a BJP worker, Lakhwinder Singh and his wife who were scheduled to participate in the programme along with Barala.

On August 10, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had demolished the temple, complying with an order of the Supreme Court.

"Some notorious people from the colony whom I know by name...and who even threatened me two days ago on phone that if you organise Barala's program, then we will thrash you by shoes. As soon as the program began...I kept saying to them that if you want to protest...please do it peacefully...but they kept vandalising," Lakhwinder Singh, chief of OBC Cell in Tohana said.

"I told my wife that when Barala comes, I will come to take you to the programme...so when I was coming back with her, they stopped me. They asked me that you have organised this program. I told them I will and then they began thrashing me. I was hit with a knife. They even threw bricks and escaped under the cover of darkness. They abused my wife as well and attempted to misbehave with her," he added.

According to Police, an FIR has been registered under various sections of the IPC and two people have been taken into custody.

Commenting on the entire incident, SHO Surendra Singh said, "Yesterday evening, there was a program of Subhash Barala. His supporters had gathered there. Some protestors also gathered at the event and started hooliganism. Complainant Lakhwinder and his wife too were going there. They were stopped and abused. Lakhwinder was hit with sharp weapons."

SHO said, the Police rushed to the spot and controlled the situation while adding that two people have been taken into custody while several others have been named in the case.

"Accused Vikram and Sukhdev have been taken into custody. Sukhdev calls himself a journalist," he said.

However, the protestors denied these allegations and urged the case to be taken back.

The Chief of Ravidas Temple Committee in Tohana, Amit Khabra said there is anger in the community over the demolition of the temple. "State BJP president never raised his voice against the demolition," he added.