Harish Rawat observes 'silence' to protest against death of Dalit man

Congress general secretary Harish Rawat along with other party officials on Monday observed an hour of 'maun vrat' (silence) here at the Gandhi Park to protest against the killing of a Dalit youth by upper caste men in Tehri."Congress national general secretary Harish Rawat along with other party leaders observed an hour silence at Gandhi Park in Dehradun," an official statement said. On May 7, a Dalit had succumbed to injuries a few days after he was beaten up allegedly by a group of "upper caste" people for dining with them at a wedding reception in Tehri district of Uttrakhand, police said."The incident was very disgusting and it is an act of shame to all of us. This is why I kept an hour fast today," Rawat said while speaking to ANI. Rawat and Congress state chief Pritam Singh also met the family of deceased, Jitendra Das, and offered monetary help. The party has also demanded Rs 15 lakh compensation to Das' family and a government job for the deceased's sister."Das was the sole earner for his family. There is no one to look after his family. We are trying our best to help them in every possible way," Rawat said. The post-mortem report of the deceased has been submitted to the police to ascertain the exact cause of death.

On April 29, a case was filed against seven persons under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.