(An excerpt from 'Dalit Lynching at Dulina: Cow - Protection, Caste and Communalism', a report on the lynching of Dalits in Jhajjar, Haryana, published by People's Union for Democratic Rights in February 2003)

The accounts of the incident narrated by the family and the police varied from each other on significant points.

According to the families of the victims, the 5 men left Badshahpur village at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 15 October 2002 by a hired Tata 407 truck. On board were - the driver Totaram, of Aklimpur village (belonging to the Julaha caste); Raju, the 'helper', of Tikli village (Balmiki); Kailash from Karnal (Balmiki); in addition to Dayachand and Virender of Badshahpur village (Jatavs who had the official contract to skin cattle in this area). Kailash, the leather trader from Karnal had come to Badshahpur to purchase raw hides from Virender and Dayachand. The 5 men were transporting the hides to Karnal to be sold the next day in the 'mandi' held there every Wednesday.

According to the DSP Jhajjar Narender Singh the victims were transporting 238 hides to Karnal. They apparently reached the Dulina police post on Gurgaon-Jhajjar road at about 6 p.m. They stopped at a deserted spot near it to skin a dead cow, as they would be able to sell the hide for Rs. 1500 at the mandi. About 15-20 people were returning from Dussehra celebrations in Jhajjar town by jeep, along the same road. They saw the men skinning the cow and assumed that they had first killed it. They started abusing the 5 men and then took them to the nearby Dulina police post. They put pressure on the police officer in-charge, SHO Hoshiar Singh to book them under the Act against cow slaughter. An FIR was filed against the victims accusing them of gaukashi (cow-slaughter). The FIR was registered on behalf of the police as the accusers allegedly refused to put their names to the complaint.

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(Published in January 2003 in the PUCL Bulletin)

A Report by Academics

On hearing the reports of lynching of five dalits by a frenzied mob at police chowkie of Duleena near Jhajjar on Dussehra day, a group of University teachers, writers from Janvadi Lekhak Sangh and social activists visited Badshahpur on 20th November to meet the members of the bereaved families to share their grief. On hearing the details which emerged after talking to the members of the bereaved families and others present there, the group decided to visit the spot of the shocking incident to meet persons who could provide information on the ghastly event. The group visited the Duleena police chowkie, talked to the police officials, residents of some farm houses around, some press reporters, and other citizens present on the spot.

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An excerpt from 'Courting Disaster: A Report on Inter-Caste Marriages, Society and State', a People's Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) report published in August 2003.

Talao in Jhajjar district of Haryana retains the appearance of a village despite being situated only three kilometers from the district headquarters. The village has a population of about 4000, with 600 households of which 150 are dalit including 70 families of jatavs (chamars), 30 of balmikis (churhas), 15 each of lohars, nais and dhanaks, besides 300 jat households. Jhajjar is a reserved Assembly constituency and. the present sarpanch, Vijay, belongs to the dhanak caste. The various castes are not clearly segregated spatially into distinctive panas or settlements within the village. Except for a low-lying neglected pana inhabited solely by dalits, houses of jats and dalits are situated adjacent on the same street. Yet the dominance of the jats is amply visible in day-to-day life. A dalit activist who runs a small tailoring shop in the village, attempted to use funds available with the local administration for developmental work in the dalit pana. This was strongly resented and prevented by the jats. Some change is however visible in the economic status of members of different dalit castes. Upward mobility among the jatavs is evident in their pucca houses, some of which at least look as prosperous as the jat households. Some run small shops in the village, others have made use of reservations to secure government jobs, while still others are employed in the army. Many among those working outside still continue to reside in the village and remain vulnerable to the power of the dominant caste.

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Jharkhand Human Rights Movement (JHRM) writes to the National Human Rights Commission

on Killing of Mr. Rohit Prajapati by the Police in an alleged fake encounter 

To,

Mr. Satyabrata Pal,

Hon'ble Member,

The National Human Rights Commission,

Faridcourt House, Copernicus Marge,

New Delhi-1

Sub: For investigation and necessary action on a case of killing of Mr. Rohit Prajapati by the Police in an alleged fake encounter near Tamar of Ranchi district of Jharkhand.

Dear Sir,

With due respect, I would like to bring your kind attention on a case of killing of Mr. Rohit Prajapati by the Police in an alleged fake encounter near Tamar of Ranchi district of Jharkhand in the morning on February 7, 2012. Mr. Rohit Prajapati S/o Mr. Sukhdev Mahto was resident of Dumardih comes under Palkot Police station of Gumla district of Jharkhand.

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Appeal from National Dalit Forum

Please write to the addressed authorities by fax, post, or by email, in the format suggested below. Please also talk to them by phone (numbers are listed alongside each public official's name) and pressurize them for the immediate arrest and punishment of culprits involved in the desecration of 4 Ambedkar Statues in Amalapuram and one Ambedkar Statue in Dhavaleshwaram in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. 

~~~~~~~

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An Appeal from the ADECOM Network 

A dominant caste mob, from Melsathamangalam village,  launched a brutal attack on the Dalit settlement in Kizh Sathamangalam village of Pondicherry, India on January 1, 2012. Nearly 100 Dalits' houses were attacked by 300 upper caste members using swords and other sharp and deadly weapons. Many Dalit houses were destroyed, properties like vehicles which included a TATA van, televisions, grinding machines, vessels were damaged or set on fire. This clash between the two sections of people started over access to water. The problem became aggravated after the Thane Cyclone hit the Pondicherry. 

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-- Write to the NHRC, stand up for the Dalit women of Naraina

(With inputs from Karthik Navayan and R.Ravi Kumar of the National Dalit Forum) 

On 9th December, 2011, around 9 in the morning, Manju Devi of Naraina village, Khagaria district, Bihar, received word that some upper caste men had encroached upon her farm and were destroying the crop ready for harvest by running a tractor through it. At around 10 a.m., Manju Devi, along with five of her neighbours, reached the farm and was immediately surrounded by Sanoj Singh and around 9-10 other upper caste men, armed with lathis and .303 rifles.

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