Rohtak: Several Dalit families have locked their homes and fled Baniyani village in Haryana’s Rohtak district, after a violent Holi clash between a Scheduled Caste community and the Rajput community led to the death of a youth.
The incident, which took place on March 4, was reportedly triggered by a minor parking dispute. The situation turned violent after the altercation escalated into a physical fight, with CCTV footage showing members from both communities engaged in the clash. A youth identified as Vikram died in the clash, resulting in heightened tensions in the locality.
Vikram was from the Rajput community. The dispute initially arose between Vikram and Nishant, who is from the SC community, police said.
According to the police statement, based on the complaint lodged by Vikram’s family, 10 individuals have been arrested so far.
“On the basis of the statements and interviews of the arrested and from the video footage we have gotten, we will continue further investigation,” a police official told reporters.
“Since there is no live video footage of the incident, we cannot clearly identify who was involved,” the police said
Vikram was intoxicated and forcefully tried to apply colour on woman, Dalit community claims
Members of the Dalit community allege that the matter was not over a parking dispute, saying the real reason behind the altercation was different. They claimed that Vikram was intoxicated at the time of the incident and attempted to apply colour to a woman forcefully. When the woman pushed him in self-defence, he died as a result of the fall, ABP News reported.
The police, however, have maintained that the matter was over a minor dispute, with a Baniyani village police inspector telling Siasat.com that it was just a brawl between two youths that turned fatal.
Following the incident, the Scheduled Caste settlement in the village was living under severe duress, with many families reluctant to leave the safety of their houses. Nearly two dozen families left the village, and the situation had a direct impact on students as well.
Around six students from the community were unable to write their Haryana Board Class 10 examinations due to the instilled fear and tension in the area.
When asked if the Dalits are facing a problem since the incident, the inspector said, “Yeh sab samaj ko badane wali baat hai. Aisa kuch nahi hai (All these claims are meant to incite people. There is no such thing).”
Case registered
The case was registered under Sections 109 (1) (attempt to murder), 103 (1) (punishment for murder), 191 (2) (rioting), 191 (3) (rioting with arms or deadly weapons), 115 (2) (volunatarily causing hurt), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), and 238 (causing dissapearance of evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Community members from the settlement also said that although they have no issue with the guilty being charged, the police are “picking up” young men without giving them a chance to explain.
One local told the media that her husband has been missing for over a week and she has no information on his whereabouts. She feared for his safety, saying her family continues to receive threats.
Meanwhile, heavy police personnel have been deployed in the village as the situation remains tense.
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