Victims hail court ruling but remain wary of the future
HISAR: The Delhi high court verdict convicting 33 people for the 2010 anti-dalit violence in Mirchpur cheered up the Scheduled Caste families who have not been able to return to their homes eight years after they fled. But they also demanded proper rehabilitation and government action, saying the Dalits in the region still live in fear.
The families, currently around 120, stay in temporary settlements in a plot owned by Dalit leader Vedpal Tanwar, about five kilometers from Hisar town in Haryana.
“Who will like to return to that village, where people of our community still feel fear to visit?” said Satyawan Singh.
The Haryana government has ordered the local administration to provide makeshift tents and proper facilities for the families.”after the violence, the government helped us with everything, like proper food, shelter and water, but now we are struggling to even get pension. We are leading a pitiable life now,” said Raja Kumar.
The deputy commissioner of Hisar, Ashok Kumar Meena, said the state government had already selected land in Dhandoor village and that the families would be allotted land soon. But Satyavan Singh, a key witness in the case, was sceptical. “We will only believe the government when we will get proper papers in our hand. For the last eight years, we are only getting assurance.”
Many women in the settlement said their basic needs was job and home. “We are fed-up of living in a six-by-six makeshift tent. Our children’s are not getting proper education. We are leading a miserable life for the last eight years,” said Rani Devi.