Dalit murder: 1 held, SAD says Cong giving it 'caste colour'

A person was today arrested from Rajasthan in connection with the alleged murder of the 27-year-old Dalit man, whose limbs were chopped off by suspected henchmen of a liquor baron.
The accused identified as Vicky, a resident of Abohar, has been arrested this morning, police said.
Facing flak over the alleged murder, the ruling SAD today termed it as a fall-out of "gang rivalry" and asked Congress and other parties in Punjab not to paint it in "caste colour" for "cheap and unscrupulous pursuit of power".
SAD General Secretary Harcharan Singh Bains in a statement said, Congress and some other outfits were trying to give "caste colour" to the incident which was essentially a case of "gang rivalry" in which members of Dalit communities featured on both sides.

It was unfortunate that Congress was trying to "distort" facts to paint the issue as "casteist" and create "social confusion" and divisions to score brownie political points, Bains said.
The government was determined to deal firmly with the unlawful elements. The killing of the Dalit man, was due to a group rivalry and the administration acted effectively and came down on culprits with a heavy hand, he said.

There is a long history behind this gang rivalry. There were members of Dalit as well as other communities on both sides, the SAD General Secretary said.
Nevertheless, if any one was found guilty of causing hurt or injury to the sentiments of any community, he or she would not be spared and would be dealt with under the strictest provisions of the law, he said.

The SAD-BJP alliance was committed to maintain respect and dignity of all members of every community, Bains said, adding protecting and welfare of the weaker sections of the society figured very high on its agenda.
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Meanwhile, SAD's ally BJP today condemned the alleged murder of the 27-year-old Dalit man in Abohar and demanded strict punishment for those found guilty.
The ruling coalition partner also sought action in the death of a a 13-year-old Dalit girl in Muktsar. Arshdeep Kaur, was run over by a private bus allegedly belonging to an Akali leader at Channu village of Muktsar district on Friday.

Condemning the incidents, Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma, in a statement here, said the party has demanded that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal ensure strictest ever punishment for the culprits involved in killing of two Dalits.
"The accused involved in these cases may belong to any political party but all are equal before the court of law," Sharma said.
He said a BJP delegation led by Chief Parliamentary Secretary Som Prakash and party's SC wing in-charge Dilbag Singh would visit the families of the victims.
"BJP expresses its condolences to the families of the victim and demands that culprits should be put behind the bars without any delay. The BJP stands with the families of the victims and will make full efforts to ensure justice for the families," Sharma added.