Dalit, ‘upper’ caste youth clash over land

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, November 22

The police have registered counter cases against an upper caste youth and a Dalit on their respective complaints after a clash between them over shamlat land in Mujadpur village of Hansi block.

Harish Bhardwaj, police spokesperson, said Ashok Kumar, son of Ramdhari Singh, alleged his neighbour barged into his house and attacked his father with a lathi. He said he also tried to force cow dung into his father’s mouth. The incident followed a dispute over a bitora (heap of cow dung cakes) between the women of the two families. He said the youth had a grudge against his father after they (Dalits) installed a statue of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar in the village in June.

“It was not a caste clash, but a dispute over a piece of shamlat land. The families tried to take possession of the land to keep cow dung. This led to a clash between the two families,” said Bhardwaj. He said a case under Section 323 and 447 of the IPC and relevant sections of the SC/ST Act had been registered against Manoj, while a case under Section 323 and 447 of the IPC was registered against the family members of Ramdhari for beating Manoj’s family member.

Manoj has denied the allegation, stating it were the family members of Ashok who beat up his family after the dispute.

Hisar SP Satender Gupta said he had marked a probe to the DSP. “The probe has begun and action would be taken against the guilty,” he said.