New turn in Bhagana case, FIR against dalit leader

Bhaskar Mukherjee

HISAR: Police on Wednesday lodged an FIR against dalit leader Virender Bagoriya and 20 associates for allegedly obstructing duty by government officials.

Bagoriya is leading dalits of Bhagana village, who had left the village last month, alleging social boycott by members of upper caste over a land dispute. They have been camping in front of district headquarters at Hisar since then.

However, the district collector has clamped prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC in the headquarters (mini-secretariat) area to maintain law and order.

The latest case has been registered against Bagoriya and others for allegedly blocking the entrance gate and road of civil hospital. According to a complaint by block development and panchayat officer, Mahender Singh Lakha, the incident occurred on Tuesday when they brought the body of a Bhagana resident dalit, Raj Kumar to the civil hospital. Kumar had reportedly died after consuming some poisonous substance on June 18.

Maintaining that investigation into the case is on, superintendent of police, Anil Dhawan said that Bagoriya and others were holding dangerous weapons with them at the time of the incident.

However, terming it a "fake" case, Bagoriya told TOI that he never visited the civil hospital for the past two months. "We will meet the inspector general of police to request him for a fair probe into the matter," he added.

Recently, police had booked 46 activists of Bahujan Samaj Party, including party's Hisar district president, Balraj Satrodia under sedition charges for protesting against chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Hisar on June 5.

However, the charges were later dropped after investigation by a deputy superintendent of police. Satrodia has also been leading the agitating dalits.

Meanwhile, Union minister for housing, urban poverty alleviation and culture, Kumari Selja has assured a delegation of dalits that a fair probe would be conducted into the latest case.

[Courtesy: TOI, June 22, 2012]