HP announces ₹20lakh for slain Dalit leader’s kin

SHIMLA : The Himachal Pradesh government has announced a compensation of ₹20 lakh to the kin of slain Dalit leader and social activist Kedar Singh Jindan, whose body was found with injury marks at Bakras village in Sirmaur district.

The government has also promised a government job to Jindan’s wife Helmlata and to bear the cost of education of his children.

The body of Jindan, who was murdered on Friday, was brought from Sirmaur to Shimla for postmortem at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) on the request of family members.

Social activists and locals, along with the kin of the murdered RTI activist, protested with Jindan’s body in Shimla on Saturday night till early morning of Sunday, demanding security and safety of the family, a job for the slain RTI activist’s wife, and arrest of all the five accused. The protesters were led by Theog MLA Rakesh Singha.

The protesters later marched towards the Ridge with Jindan’s body and wanted to take the body to chief minister Jai Ram Thakur’s official residence, but were stopped at the Ridge by the police.

Enraged protesters then sat on a dharna at the Ridge. Education minister Suresh Bhardwaj came to hold talks with the protesters in the early hours of Sunday. After an hour-long talks with Singha, Bhardwaj accepted their demand for compensation and a job to his wife.

Jindan, a resident of Tibmi village in the Shillai subdivision of Sirmour district, was allegedly murdered while he was on his way to Shimla. He had sought lift up to Shillai from a local youth, but stopped on the way at Bakras village.

Preliminary investigations suggested that he was first beaten to death and then an SUV was run over him.

The police have impounded the Mahindra Scorpio allegedly used in the crime and arrested two persons, identified as one Gopal Singh and Jai Prakash, up-pradhan of the Bakras village panchayat. The accused have been sent to four-day police remand by a local court.

The eyewitness and family members say they are feeling unsafe in the region and allege that those accused in the murder are influential people.

Director general of police (DGP) of Himachal Pradesh SR Mardi said that an eyewitness to the case had seen five people murdering Jindan in Sirmaur.