Dehradun, June 15
Two murders within a week in Uttarakhand has brought to focus that the rule of law has ceased to exist and the state BJP government and police are acting on the directions and coercion of Hindutva forces who are ruling the roost.
It was tale of two murders which has also brought to light the contrast in dealing with alleged perpetrators by the police and administration under BJP government.
There was swift justice by the police and administration on the express orders of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in one case where the murder and attack was committed by members of the Muslim community against a ruling BJP leader over a long pending dispute between neighbours over irrigating their respective fields in Bairagiwala village under Sahaspur police station of Dehradun district, while in the second case, the police and administration dragged its feet in giving such ‘prompt’ justice to a dalit family since the alleged accused belonged to upper caste.
Amidst shrill slogan shouting by a large Hindutva crowd which was calling for ‘revenge killing’ and anti-Muslim slogans of ‘Goli Marro Saalo ko’ against ‘Jihadis’, the police and administration bulldozed and razed to the ground the houses of the alleged accused in the case. The houses were also torched by the irate Hindutva mob in the presence of large police force, on June 14.
In another case, an 18-year-old boy, belonging to a Dalit community, was brutally killed allegedly for being in an inter-caste relationship with an upper caste 15-year-old girl in Pratap Nagar block of Tehri district on June 8. The family of the slain youth who was mercilessly beaten up along with his another friend by the father and other family members of the girl, ran from pillar to post to get justice. It was after a public hue and cry that a case was registered against four persons including father and grand father of the girl and two of them were arrested. But there was no ‘bulldozer justice’ in the case.
However, in Bairagiwala village, Vinod Kumar, a local BJP leader was killed and his family was attacked on June 13 evening, allegedly by their neighbours, following a dispute over irrigation of their agricultural fields. The incident quickly led to communal tensions in the area as a large number of members belonging to Hindutva groups descended on the village. They also stoned a mosque as a large police police was deployed.
But on June 14, many more leaders and workers of various BJP-RSS groups gathered to seek justice for the bereaved family. The police and administration officials brought in a bull dozer and razed the houses of the alleged accused without any legal notice terming these houses as ‘illegal’.
According to Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Parminder Dobhal, the deceased Vinod Kumar and his family had an ongoing dispute with their neighbour, Imtiaz, over water supply in their fields. On Saturday evening, the altercation resulted in violence, leading to the death of Vinod Kumar, who was also a local BJP leader and injuries to three other family members. Ashok Kumar, a brother of Vinod Kumar lodged a FIR against 12 named and 30 to 40 unidentified persons for the attack on his family. The SSP said that four of the alleged accused have been arrested and paraded before media persons and were seen limping.
Such was the black mail of the Hindutva forces that the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who is the youngest icon of Hindutva brigade gave his verdict to demolish the houses of the alleged accused.
But the Hindutva forces were not satisfied and wanted that the houses of entire Muslim community should be demolished and raised slogans and threats against local BJP legislator Munna Singh Chauhan who was spearheading the “justice delivery system”.
In the Ketan lal murder case, Senior Superintendent of Police, Tehri, Shweta Choubey said the victim, received a phone call from the girl’s number on the night of June 7, at around 11 pm, asking him to visit her house. Upon arrival, her father and grandfather allegedly started physically assaulting him and his friend Diwakar Dimri with sticks, keeping them confined there till the morning of June 8.
As per media reports, Ketan’s family claimed he was subjected to severe torture, with the attackers using pliers to pull out his finger and toe nails, driving nails into his feet and inflicting serious damage to his genitals.
On the morning of June 8, the girl’s father called Ketan Lal’s father Dhampal Lal to inform him about the matter. Dhampal Lal found his son to be severely injured and took him to a nearby hospital. On way to the hospital, Ketan Lal alleged that he had been beaten “because he belonged to a Scheduled caste”, the father stated. Ketan Lal succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Angry residents staged a demonstration outside the hospital, with his family refusing to accept the body for last rites until the accused were arrested. Later under public pressure two arrests were made and under charges of murder and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act.
Various social organisations of the state held a demonstration at Dehradun two days ago to seek justice for the dalit family.
Photo caption: Houses of accused Muslims in the murder of a local BJP set on fire by Hindutva mob in Bairagiwala village under Sahaspur police station of Dehradun district.
2, Houses of accused Muslims in the murder of a local BJP bull dozed by police in swift justice in Bairagiwala village under Sahaspur police station of Dehradun district.
3. Ketan lal, a dalit youth who was killed for having an affair with an upper caste girl.
S.M.A.KAZMI is an Independent Journalist formally with The Indian Express & The Tribune, based at Dehradun.
