JOIN USSunperh village, barely 35 km from the national capital, erupted in protest on Wednesday, a day after two Dalit children were burnt to death by members of the upper caste.
Protestors blocked the Delhi-Agra national highway keeping the childrens’ bodies. The blockade was lifted in the evening after the family eventually agreed to perform the last rites.
Pushed onto the back foot, the Haryana government ordered a CBI probe into the incident as loads of politicians, from Rahul Gandhi to Brinda Karat to AAP's Ashutosh and others, made a beeline to the village while slamming both the Centre and the state government.
Threat was there
The victims family had apprehended threat to their lives and had even sounded the local police months ago. The policemen who were posted to protect Dalit families are alleged to have been either napping or attending a religious event on the night the incident took place. Seven policemen, including the SHO, have been placed under suspension.
Jitender Kumar, father of the deceased, said he had informed the police about the impending danger but to no avail. In fact, sources said the Dalit's, including the victims family, had moved out of the village last year and returned only after top police officials assured them of safety.
The assurance proved to be a farce. The mother of the deceased children, Rekha, is battling for her life with 80 per cent burns. The incident comes at a time when the Manohar Lal Khattar government was glorifying its achievements on its first anniversary.
Khattar, who was earlier scheduled to visit the village, put off the visit by reasoning that the bodies were yet to be cremated. Khattar, however, was in Sonipat on Wednesday, not far away from Sunperh. The police have so far arrested four persons. Seven others are on the run.