1600m race

daily wager like my father. I spent all of last year training for the race at the Hanuman Akhada nearby,” he says. Kumar’s father, Ajmer Singh (46) and mother Bubbly Devi (38), work as daily-wage farmers. His elder brother, Somnath, 20, was injured in the assault and is still in hospital. Kumar sprained his right shoulder.

“It was planned. Who comes to watch a stunt show with rods? They hit me on my leg repeatedly,” says Kumar’s friend Tej Bhan, who was also injured in the attack. A day after the attack, an FIR against 15 people and “40 others” was registered at the Narnaund police station, based on Bhan’s complaint. Eight people have been arrested since.

“There have been a few skirmishes in the past six-seven years but the atmosphere was largely calm. This wasn’t a case of caste violence,” says head constable Nehra Singh, stationed outside Kumar’s house. Ashwini Chauhan, Kumar’s uncle, counters the claim: “Haven’t you seen the discrimination all these years? We didn’t speak out earlier because Dalits feared losing their jobs in the fields of the Jats.” The 40 Valmiki families of the village had threatened to leave after the incident but were persuaded by the state administration to stay back.

“It was a fight between youngsters. The accused don’t all belong to the Jat community. There are Pandits, Lohars, Khatis... We are making arrests,” said Hisar SP Rajender Kumar Meena.

In another part of the village, a few metres away from from the Dalit homes, are the houses of the Jats and other upper castes. There are very few people on the streets and most of the homes, including those of the men who have been arrested, are locked.

“In the 2010 case, 15 people were convicted but over 50 men lost two-five years of their lives in jail. All residents now fear being arrested,” says Satyavan Singh, the village sarpanch, a Jat. Singh has been urging the 15 men named in the FIR to surrender. “We want our boys to come forward and and tell their side of the story,” he says.

“The claims are all false. My nephew never mocked anyone,” says 70-year-old Gita Pandit, the aunt of Ram Prasad, 22, who has been arrested.

“The other night, we got together to urge families to hand over their sons to the police. Someone called the police and told them we were planning an attack. We are the ones who are scared, not them,” says Jagdish Chander, an ex-army jawan.

Back at the Valmiki basti, Shiv Kumar hopes to resume running practice soon. “I want to join the Army,” he says, collecting the medals and trophies spread out on the cot.