Dalits: Release our children arrested during Apr 2 bandh

MEERUT: Dalits of Meerut region are planning to launch a protest against their “underage children being sent to jail on charges of attacking the police and participating in violence” during the April 2 ‘Bharat Bandh’. The bandh was called by Dalit organisations to demonstrate against the alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act.

Dalit leader Dr Sushil Gautam, president of the Democratic Students’ Front, said they would raise their voice against “police atrocity”.

“We are demanding immediate release of our innocent children booked on April 2. We have details of at least eight boys who are underage and four who were sent to the district jail in gross violation of the law. It is unfair of the police to have lodged these children with hardcore criminals without first investigating their age,” he said.

Citing the example of one such boy, Sachin Jatav, Dr Gautam said, “He passed his high school exams this year, but was still lodged in the district jail.”

Sachin’s father, Dharamveer Jatav, who works as a watchman in a private colony, said, “His marksheet shows his date of birth as August 25, 2003. No one approached me to investigate before filing a charge sheet against my son. They made up his date of birth and sent him to the district jail instead of the juvenile justice court.”

Sachin’s advocate, Ashok Kumar, claimed the police refused to accept his Aadhaar Card as age proof.