Around two dozen Dalit families have locked their homes and fled Baniyani village in Haryana‘s Rohtak district following a deadly clash on Holi that left a young man from the Rajput community dead. The atmosphere of fear in the Scheduled Caste settlement has become so severe that approximately six students could not appear for their Haryana Board Class 10 examinations, putting their academic futures at risk.
Heavy police force has been deployed in the village following the violence, but tension continues to grip the area.
What Happened on Holi
A dispute broke out on the day of Holi between members of the Dalit and Rajput communities over the removal of motorcycles parked in the area. The altercation turned violent and escalated into a physical fight. A young man named Vikram from the Rajput community was killed during the clashes. CCTV footage of the conflict has since surfaced, showing members of both communities engaged in a physical confrontation.
Two Very Different Versions of the Incident
The two communities offer starkly conflicting accounts of how the violence started. While the initial reports described the dispute as being over parked bikes, members of the Scheduled Caste community say the real cause was different. They allege that Vikram, who was reportedly intoxicated, tried to apply gulal to a woman against her will, that the woman pushed him away in self-defence, and that he died as a result of the fall. They maintain that the dispute over bikes was not the actual trigger.
Community members from the Dalit settlement said they have no objection to the guilty being punished but alleged that police are picking up innocent young men indiscriminately and not listening to their side of the story. One woman said her husband had been missing for nine days with no information about his whereabouts, and she feared something untoward had happened to him. She also said the family was still receiving threats.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com. Read the full story here.