By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: The tent of Bhagana protesters at Jantar Mantar has been removed by the Delhi Police today morning and they have been asked to leave.
[Courtesy: Om Prasad]
About 100 Dalit families from Bhagana village in Haryana’s Hissar district are sitting on dharna since April 16 at Jantar Mantar and even met the then Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, on April 27. Shinde, who is himself a Dalit, had assured to look into the matter. But so far nothing has come out of this.
The protesters are demanding justice for the four teen aged Dalit girls who were raped by the dominant land holding Jats from the same village.
To file even the FIR, they had to sit on dharna and call local champion of Dalit causes, Ved Pal Tanwar. Under pressure police filed the FIR but victims’ families were not satisfied and they sat on dharna outside the District-Headquarter (Mini-Secretariat). Seeing no actions and progress in the case, they eventually moved to the National Capital on April 16.
TCN photo of May 10 at Jantar Mantar
As Delhi temperature is soaring they had put up a tarpaulin overhead, but the police today removed that and have asked the protesters to leave. At the time of filing this story, the protesters are still sitting on the dharna under open. The current temperature of Delhi is about 44 degree Celsius.
JNU’s students’ union has meanwhile given a call to demonstration in front of Parliament Street Police Station, today, 2 pm against the Delhi Police’s forceful removal of the tents of the protesters.
Related:
Bhagana’s Dalit victims seek justice; protest at Jantar Mantar