Haryana Dalits protest against government's failure to control violence against them

Dalits in Bhagana village held a protest outside Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's official residence in New Delhi on Sunday, against the spate of violence and social boycott their community has been facing since last two years.

This comes in the backdrop of an incident in March 24 this year in which four minor Dalit girls of Bhagana village were gangraped and thrown in a perishable condition at a railway station in Bhatinda by upper caste men of the village.

The protesters alleged that both the State and the Union Governments were paying no heed to the matter and no action has been taken so far.

"Administration and government are completely supporting the local government; and chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is repeatedly announcing that 'before being the Chief Minister, I am the supporter of Jats'. Everyday, in Haryana, the Dalits (Backward castes) are facing violence. Murder, rape, and destruction of Dalits happens everyday. But, the country's government and Haryana government has failed to provide justice to the Dalits, they are not being provided justice and the situation is becoming worse everyday,"said a protester, Virender Singh Baghodia.

Reportedly, after receiving threats from Jats for protesting against gangrape, more than 80 families of Bhagana fled to Delhi and have been protesting.

Many of the protesters were the family members of the Bhagana gangrape victims.

"There is absolute pressure upon us. Our four daughters were picked up. We are not in a position to show our face in our village. We and our daughters should be given justice. We should be provided by government a place to stay. The two culprits, the village headman and his uncle Virender must be sent to jail," said mother of a gangrape victim.

The victims' families have decided moving the Supreme Court, seeking rehabilitation and compensation.

Dalits of Bhagana underwent social boycott imposed on them by the Kangaroo courts in 2000 and 2007.