Jind: The Haryana Government`s efforts to
broker peace with residents of Mirchpur village protesting at
the railway tracks here failed as the indefinite sit-in
seeking a fresh probe into the killing of two Dalits in April
last year entered the fifth day on Wednesday.
PWD Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala had yesterday told
the protestors belonging to the Jat community that the state
government had decided to hand over the investigation to the
CBI.
"The state government is likely to move the Supreme Court
to shift further investigations to the CBI," Surjewala had
told the members of the upper caste community, including
women, have been sitting on the tracks near Jind railway
station since January 15.
They have been demanding a fresh probe into the killing
of a Dalit man and his daughter on April 21 last year in
Mirchpur district, after which 98 members of their community
were booked.
Railway traffic on the Jind-Jakhal section of the
Delhi-Ferozepur route has been disrupted due to the dharna,
the call for which was issued by a Jat Mahapanchayat of 42
khaps or caste councils.
Trains have been been diverted via other routes and
police personnel have been deployed in strength to maintain
peace in view of the dharna.
A Delhi court had on January 9 directed the Haryana
Government to move all the 98 accused from Hisar jail to a
prison in New Delhi following the transfer of their trial in
the case relating to the attack on Dalits allegedly by members
of the upper caste Jat community.
The case relating to the killing of 70-year-old Dalit
Tara Chand and his 17-year-old polio-stricken daughter Suman
was transferred to a special court in Delhi by an order of the
Supreme Court on December 9 last year.
The protesters, belonging to Mirchpur and the adjoining
villages, have opposed the shifting of the trial to a court in
the national capital and lodging of the accused in Tihar
prison there.
They are demanding that the probe be held either at
Rohtak or Hisar and the accused be lodged in either of the two
jails.
The trial was shifted to a Rohini court after the
aggrieved party had approached the Supreme Court claiming that
a fair trial was not possible within the state.
The case is currently being probed by Haryana Police.
Though Mirchpur village falls in Hisar district, the
protesters have commenced their protest dharna in Jind
district as their village is only 15 kms from here.
Tara Chand and his daughter were killed when their house
was set afire on April 21 last year in Mirchpur district after
which 98 members of the Jat community were booked in
connection with the case.
PTI
