Himalaya Samajik evam Arthik Jan Chetna Abhiyan (HSAJCA) secretary Balak Ram said that untouchability and crime against Dalits was on the rise in the state, as the law enforcing authorities meted out indifferent attitude while dealing with the deprived community.
At a state level meeting of HSAJCA at Shimla, Balak said that as many as 22 instances of crime against Dalit community were presented in the meeting by victims from all over the state, including six instances of rape, four issues of land-grabbing by upper-caste people, one issue of closing the road the led to a Dalit house, and two issues of untouchably in school campus where mid-day meal was served separately to the Dalit community children.
While interacting with Hindustan Times at Mandi on Thursday, Balak said that two murders and attempt to rape instances that took place in Kullu district recently were also discussed in the meeting, for which the HSAJCA demanded a CBI inquiry.
Balak stated an incident that occurred at Sim village of Manali in which upper-class people had mercilessly thrashed one Pawan Kumar, a Dalit, who drank water from the tap owned by them. “Kumar succumbed to injuries at the PGIMER, Chandigarh, on December 2, 2012, but the police registered a case under relatively minor sections, and made no arrests,” said Balak.
He said the state had no human rights commission, due to which the matter informed to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), with demand to order CBI inquiry into the matter.
{{/usCountry}}He said the state had no human rights commission, due to which the matter informed to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), with demand to order CBI inquiry into the matter.
{{/usCountry}}Balak said that the details of the crime against Dalit community have been presented to state government along with NHRC, but he regretted that unlike other parts of the country, here these 'untouchables' face total segregation, doing menial jobs, without having any right to uplift their status.