By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
New Delhi: A number of civil and human rights organisations united in protests outside the Haryana Bhawan in Delhi, denouncing the gruesome killing of two children and the attack on their family in Faridabad and asking for a judicial inquiry into the matter along with swift action against the guilty.
Social activist and Founding Trustee of Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD) Shabnam Hashmi said it was important that a judicial inquiry be conducted to look into the case. Speaking to Twocircles, she said, “We have seen in previous cases of violence against Dalits in Haryana, like Atali, that the state police have not handled the matter in the most professional manner. In this case also, their role is questionable as the family had been given police protection.”
On October 20, Tuesday, the house of Jitender and Rekha in the village of Sunpedh, Faridabad, was burnt down by Rajputs in a suspected act of vengeance. While Vaibhav, 3, and Divya, 10 months old, died, their parents Jitender and Rekha suffered severe burns, with Rekha still in a critical condition in Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi.
Manisha Sethi of Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association said the country had been under an atmosphere of intolerance of late and that the state and central governments are actively encouraging such elements. “This is a long battle against the perpetrators and I do not believe that the state police and government are going to conduct a fair trial in the matter,” she told Twocircles. She also added that the witnesses in the case must be given protection and that the support from all these organizations for the victims must continue to ensure justice.
After the protests, the organisations-AIDMAM, AIDWA, Akhil Bhartiya Balmiki Sangh, All India Catholic Union, All India Christian Association, ANHAD, Bhumi Adhikar Andolan, Dalit Soshan Mukti Manch, Delhi Solidarity Group, among others-released a joint statement, demanding for “a high-level committee investigation, full security to the deprived, marginalized communities and targeted minorities immediately. There should be an immediate arrest of attackers and quick action against irresponsible police personnel in this case.”