By IANS
Rohtak (Haryana) : A rally called by an organisation of scheduled castes in this Haryana town Wednesday turned violent with public and private property being damaged extensively in the ensuing rampage.
Police rounded up over 40 people after being forced to cane charge the unruly mob that went about damaging property and setting private vehicles on fire.
The rampage continued for over two hours. The rally was organised by the Dalit-e-mahapanchayat seeking inclusion of certain categories of Dalits in the list of scheduled castes.
Rohtak district police chief Hanif Quraishi said that over 40 people were arrested and cases of rioting and damage to public property had been registered against them.
“Most of those arrested are from Bhiwani and Jind districts (in Haryana),” Quraishi said.
Rohtak deputy commissioner R.S. Doon said that the organisation, which held the rally, was responsible for the rampage, as it had failed to control the participants who gathered for its rally.
“Some miscreants in the rally disobeyed magisterial orders and got violent. They set vehicles and property on fire. The mahapanchayat had promised that the rally would be held peacefully but that did not happen.
“People whose property and vehicles have been damaged can get cases registered against the mahapanchayat to seek compensation,” Doon said.
Rohtak is the hometown of Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.