DALIT LYNCHING IN HARYANA

 VHP Bares Anti-Dalit Face,

Govt Not Keen To Punish Culprits

FOLLOWING the report that five Dalits were killed between 9 and 10 p m on October 15, in Duleena police post in Jhajjar district of Haryana, a joint delegation of the CPI(M) and CPI visited the affected area on October 17 along with leaders of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) to express solidarity with the victims and to register strong protest against and condemn the ghastly crime. It was the first delegation to visit the victims’ families. Shockingly, other parties in Haryana remained silent about the crime.

The Dalits killed by a VHP mob were Dayachand, Virendra, Tota Ram, Raju and Kailash.

The delegation comprised state CPI(M) secretary Inderjeet Singh and his CPI counterpart Raghbir Singh Choudhary, AIDWA general secretary Brinda Karat, former CPI MLA Dr Harnam Singh, state AIDWA president Jagmati Sangwan, and Balbir Dahiya and Ram Chandra of the CPI(M).

THE POLICE VERSION

The delegation visited the site of the killings and met the superintendent of police Mohd Aqeel, his deputy Narendra Singh, SHO Rajendra Singh and other police personnel. Deputy commissioner Mahendra Singh was in Bahadurgarh and hence unavailable. The delegation also met the family members of Dayachand and Virendra, two of those killed, and a large number of others in village Badshahpur. It also attended a meeting of residents in the village chaupal.

The incident that took place was reported as below.

  October 15, Kailash, an animal skin trader, came to Badshahpur village in Gurgaon district to collect a consignment of buffalo and cow hides from a licensed skinner Devendra. As is the usual practice, some advance was given and the rest of the payment was to be made on delivery. Devendra's brother Virendra and his cousin Dayachand (both skinners) hired a vehicle to take the hides to Karnal and accompanied the trader so as to collect the rest of the payment. Tota Ram was the driver of the vehicle and Raju its conductor. They all left the village at around 11 a m. Their first stop was a place called Farroukhnagar where another consignment of hides was picked up. The Duleena chowki (police post) where the killings took place was en route to their destination.

According to the police version, the said trader bought a dead cow from Farroukhnagar. Somehow the vehicle was stopped close to the chowki and the cow was skinned on the main road. But a group of people from a neighbouring village saw the act, got off their vehicle and started beating up the Dalits, accusing them of cow slaughter. Then they dragged the badly injured Dalits to the police chowki. This took place between 5 and 5.30 p m. At the time, there were about 5 or 6 police personnel present in the chowki. Later, the news spread that a cow had been killed. Whereupon the mobs returning from a Dussehra celebration, some of them drunk, surrounded the chowki, set up road blocks to prevent the police from taking the Dalits out, and beat them to death. According to the police, the mob was 4,000 to 5,000 strong. The killings took place before 3 subdivisional magistrates, the deputy superintendent of police, the SHO and about 60 to 70 police personnel who had been sent there after an urgent wireless message from the chowki. Subsequently, an enquiry committee was set up. It comprised entirely of police officials, including those present at the site. There were no arrests made by the time this report was written.

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

The preliminary findings of the delegation are as follows.

1) The version as well as the role of the police is dubious. There have been occasions when the chowki personnel had demanded bribes from animal skin traders, on the threat of implementing the anti-cow slaughter laws that are in operation in the state. The family members of those killed have made the charge, on the basis of past experience, that it was the police personnel present who first beat the Dalits because they refused to pay the police the required bribe. This charge needs to be investigated.

2) There are unresolved questions regarding the skinning of the cow, which ostensibly triggered the violence. The police version that Kailash, the trader, bought a dead cow in Farroukhnagar and then skinned it in the open by the roadside is unbelievable. The trader was interested in getting his consignment, valued at about Rs 40,000, to the delivery point, while the two skinners were keen to collect the payment and get back home. Then, why should they suddenly buy a dead cow worth Rs 200 and stop in the middle of the road to skin it, that too near a police chowki? Till today, the police do not have the name of the person who supposedly sold the dead cow to Kailash. If the cow was being skinned, why do the police not have the knife that was used? All these issues need to be investigated.

3) It is possible that a vehicle standing near the chowki, filled with animal skins, may have attracted the attention of passers-by. But it is members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and associated organisations who were directly involved in spreading the rumour that Muslims had slaughtered a cow and were skinning it in the open. The incident came in the background of an ongoing cow protection campaign that is blatantly communal, directed against Muslims and recalls to mind the campaign run by the notorious Dara Singh in Orissa.

The VHP was involved in inciting mob violence as also in mobilising their members to reach the chowki. Some VHP members also rang the police and warned them not to release those who had “killed” the cow. A phone call to the police with a similar warning came from Delhi, from someone claiming to be a Shankaracharya.

The VHP’s involvement is further corroborated by the congratulatory procession it organised next day in Jhajjar, in defence of the killings and demanding that no arrest must be made.

It is also necessary to investigate whether there is any link between this Dalit lynching and the reported conversion of 33 Dalit families to Islam in two villages in Mewat some time in August.

4) The numbers of those mobilised requires further corroboration. It is possible the police are exaggerating the number to justify their inaction. The chowki is a very small one, open from all sides, and it is not possible for a small police force to protect it in the face of aggression from a large mob. However, the police are unable to explain why they permitted the build-up for 4 hours and why they did not remove the Dalits from the station before the situation took an ugly turn.

5) The most shocking and disturbing aspect is the complete lack of concern on part of state government. Not a single minister has visited the site. No compensation has been announced for those so brutally killed.

6) It is clear that the main concern of the police, under orders from the government, is to “defuse” the situation. This is a euphemism for not taking action against those involved, as they fear it may cause a law and order problem. Thus the new code being set is --- protect law and order not by arresting those guilty of a heinous murder, but by not arresting them and by bowing before the threats of communal criminals.

The CPI(M)--CPI delegation was convinced that in this case there has been a complete violation of the law of the land. If no one has been arrested in spite of ample evidence about the guilty, it is because of the government’s soft approach towards the communal elements, as also because of the culpability of the police. The delegation demanded immediate arrest of all the guilty and their prosecution on charge of murder. A time-bound CBI investigation into the atrocity must be ordered.

Further, the incident provides one more reason why the VHP, with its provocative slogans and anti-national activities, must be banned and its leaders arrested. Action must be taken against all those officials present, who utterly failed to protect the life of five innocent Dalits. The family of each of those killed must be given a compensation of Rs five lakh.

MEETING WITH THE AGGRIEVED

The delegation visited Badshahpur village to which two of the victims, Dayachand and Virendra, belonged. According to a large number of people the delegation met at the victims’ houses, the families had the support of the entire village, regardless of caste. The delegation met people of various castes in the village; they all were angry over the incident. They all had praise for the victims, as being extremely hardworking and helpful.

There is a large population of Jatav community in the village. Some of them, like the two victims, earn their living by skinning dead animals. It is the block development officer who awards contracts for such work after inviting tenders. In this case, it was Virendra’s brother, Devendra, who had got contract in April this year. The contract worth Rs 35,000 was for one year and covered 40 villages. The delegation also saw the receipt number 035 issued by the BDO in connection with the contract. The family did show the delegation the papers to establish that the entire profession was legal. They said there was no question of skinning a cow in an area outside the jurisdiction of the license, least of all near a police chowki like Duleena, an hour’s drive from their own area.

Devendra also has the licence for skinning dead animals from the gaushala. He told the delegation that he had accepted the work for a small payment, as a sort of donation to the gaushala. His team of workers picks up dead animals and brings them to the land the village panchayat has allotted for skinning. These workers bury the carcasses after skinning, the hides are treated with a salt-based mixture and then sold. It is hard, unpleasant work but provides to the community a crucial service. The payment is low, and the job is thankless in terms of social recognition.

Dayachand was working with Devendra for a meagre amount. We met his aged parents, his wife Saroj and 4 children. It was very moving to see his daughters, Minu (8) and Pinky (9), helping their mother and grandmother, and taking care of their young brother and sister, even while wiping their own eyes that would constantly fill up with tears. This is an extremely poor, hardworking family, now bereft because of the cruel killing.

The victim’s brother Dulchand and father Budhram told us how the police came knocking at their door, at 3.30 in the morning on October 16, to inform them of an “accident” that involved Dayachand. They as well as Devendra’s family were informed that the young men had been admitted to the Jhajjar Civil Hospital. No means of transport was provided to take the families to the hospital. Once they managed to reach there, they shuttled between the chowki, the thana (police station) and the hospital, as there was no official to meet and inform them of what had happened.  At last, they were directed to the morgue. Stunned, grieved and shocked, they saw the brutalised, wounded bodies of their loved ones. Describing the terrible injuries his brother suffered, Dulchand broke down again and again. The police refused to arrange for a vehicle, leave alone an ambulance, to take the dead bodies back to the village. “They treated us as if we were the criminals’ families, not of the victims,” said Jogendra of the family. The police did not give them any papers, nor the copies of the FIR filed.

CRUELTY OF THE CASTE SYSTEM

The savagery and cruelty of the caste system, the inhumanity and arrogance of the “pure” upper castes against the “polluted” Dalits were brought out in every word this young man spoke while desperately trying to control his grief. “They gave us his naked body. We are poor Dalits; that is why they did not think it necessary to cover my brother even with an old sheet.”

Sitting next to us, someone in the crowd said: “Hindus make us do their dirty work and then deprive us of even a minimum of dignity.” Another said: “If they love their animals so much, let them pick up the carcasses and bury them with full rites.” Yet another voice said: “We know it was the VHP and the Bajrang Dal. Why don’t they arrest those who brought out the procession yesterday!” The crowd thus gave vent to their anger. They also talked of the need to organise demonstrations and there was prompt agreement on the proposal.

Among those present was Smt Ramashree, Zila Parishad chairperson who is distantly related to the victims. She spoke of other cases of atrocities against Dalits, where the guilty escaped punishment. She urged the women present to join the protest actions being planned.

The delegation met Virendra's father Rattan Lal, his aged mother Ramvati, broken by grief, his wife Lakshmi Devi, 2 young sons, and his brothers Devendra and Rajesh. The mother kept repeating: My son was so tall, so strong, how could they kill him! She had not been told that her son was surrounded and beaten to death and his head smashed with big stones.

No official, nor any minister, had visited the village by the time the delegation went there. As if the incident had not at all occurred, and these five young men had never existed, for the government and administration!

The delegation also attended a meeting in the village chaupal, organised by local youth. It was for planning how best to help the families and ensure that those guilty are arrested.

MEETING WITH SP

 Earlier, the delegation had met the superintendent of police (SP), Mohd Aqeel, in Jhajjar. He had not been able to reach the chowki because of road blockade. His idea was that the Dalits were “presumed to be Muslims” and therefore attacked. This opinion was repeated by almost all the police personnel the delegation spoke to. The SP gave us the police version in detail, quoted earlier in this report. He admitted there was no investigation about the reported buying of a cow in Farroukhnagar. He said the police tried to ascertain the truth from the Dalits and to convince the villagers who had brought them to the chowki, about the facts.

According to the SP, the policemen at the chowki were not biased as it was the ASI Dharmendra who first said the Dalits had committed no crime as it was a dead cow they were skinning. But he had no answer as to why then they were not taken to the hospital. He said he was first informed about the developing situation at about 7 p m when he was at the deputy commissioner’s residence. They were both monitoring the situation and told the SDMs and other police personnel to go to the chowki.

The SP received a call from a VHP leader shortly thereafter, informing him that “some cow-killers” had been nabbed and that the police must not release them. The delegation took it was a threat to him, but he said he took it at its face value. He also received a message from a “Shankaracharya” in Delhi, but could not answer the call due to his preoccupation with the developing situation. When asked why the police did not use firearms to protect the Dalits from the mob, he said they were heavily outnumbered and it would have worsened the situation. He expressed concern about the congratulatory demonstration organised the next day. However, on being asked what instructions he had from the government, he said: “to maintain peace.” When the delegation pointedly asked him whether it meant making no arrests, he said his first priority was to defuse the situation; the arrests would follow after proper investigation.

Clearly, the SP is under tremendous pressure not to take action against those responsible for the violence. Others told us the mob was shouting slogans against him, accusing him of helping those who had slaughtered a cow. Perhaps it was this type of propaganda against him that prompted him to inform us that he had taken action against those responsible for cow slaughter a few months ago. The SP went out of his way to defend the police personnel and their version. He described how the SHO had tried to protect the Dalits and got his arm badly injured. When we met the SHO and asked him to show us the injury, however, it was barely a scratch. For whatever reason, he too seems to be involved in trying to cover up the criminal negligence of the administration and police in the case.

AT THE CHOWKI

 The delegation also went to Duleena chowki where the incident occurred --- a small brick building of two rooms, in an open area. On the road just outside, we had the dreadful sight of two big patches of dried blood. It seems this blood had flowed from the innocent victims’ bodies when they were brutally beaten to death. Present at the chowki were SHO Rajendra Singh and other constables. Naseeb Singh, a petrol pump owner of the area and president of the Jhajjar bar association, and later the DSP Narendra Singh also came to the chowki. They repeated what the SP had already stated. They also said they had repeatedly told the swelling crowd that “the men are not Muslims but Hindus.”

This was stated several times. Ultimately, the delegation had to ask them: “Do you mean if they were Muslims, the crowd’s behaviour would have been justified?” There was no answer. However, the statement does reveal the anti-Dalit attitude of the VHP leaders who masterminded the incident. When asked if they had identified any of the killers, the SHO said “it was too dark.” The delegation was shocked at the answer that spells freedom for the killers. It is an ominous indication that there would be no witnesses to identify the killers.

We questioned him further, “Surely the policemen do recognise those who had beaten up the Dalits. Have you filed FIRs against them?” “No, we haven’t” was the reply. “What about the others? It was not a hit and run case; the crowd was there for several hours. How come you don’t know at least some of them?” He remained silent. Naseeb Singh then spoke, “I too was here. I can tell you it was very difficult to control the crowd. The policemen too were attacked.” So the police have enough witnesses to substantiate their theory, but none who may speak out for those killed.

Interestingly, the SHO and others made rather scathing comments about the cow-protection platform. They said there are at least 2,000 cows abandoned in the area, and they wander about eating polythene bags. “Why don’t those who shout about cow protection, protect these cows?” they asked.

The police took us around the chowki, pointing out the marks on the walls due to the stones the mob threw. The wrought-iron window bars were also damaged. Yet, in our opinion, if a mob as large as the one the police said there was had really been aggressive, the damage should have been far greater.

The DSP, who recently received a police award, further elaborated on the theory of a big crowd. According to him, if the police had fired, the mob could have killed them all in retaliatory violence. But was not firm action the only way to save the Dalits? “We lathicharged them twice,” he replied. “Eight of our men got injured.” However, we did not see a single injury on him or any of the others present. As far as arrests are concerned, we were told “information is being gathered” from the villages to identify the guilty.

From our discussions with those present at the chowki, it was clear that the main concern was to “defuse” the situation. We were informed that five police teams had been deputed to visit villages to “gather information.”

The inquiry set up by the administration consists of police officers under the leadership of DSP Narendra Singh whose own role was questionable. There is absolutely no chance of justice for the victims’ families if an impartial time-bound CBI investigation is not set up.

UNDENIABLE CONCLUSION 

The silence of state and national level mainstream political parties on this terrible atrocity against Dalits shows how the VHP’s communal agenda has so distorted politics that the concern for vote takes precedence over the defence of minimum human rights. In Haryana, the “temple movement” did not get the response the Sangh Parivar sought. So “cow protection” is their plank here for communal mobilisation. The recent incident and the VHP’s subsequent activities are yet another piece of evidence of its deeply casteist, anti-Dalit outlook.

  The CPI(M) and CPI have urged upon all sections of people to express their anger and protest against this terrible anti-Dalit atrocity and to express solidarity with the victims’ families in every way possible.