‘Humiliated’ in panchayat, Yamunanagar Dalit man ends life

Yamunanagar, June 2

A 60-year-old Dalit man reportedly died by suicide after he was allegedly humiliated in a panchayat meeting held in the district’s Barauli Majra village on May 25.

The deceased was identified as Ram Chander. On his wife’s complaint, sarpanch’s father Arinder Singh has been booked under Section 306 of the IPC and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act. The case was registered at the Chhachhrauli police station on May 31.

The complainant, Shiksha Devi, who is the former sarpanch of Barauli Majra village, alleged the accused hit her husband with shoes during the meeting and made casteist remarks.

The FIR mentioned “election rivalry” as the reason behind Chander’s extreme step.

There was, however, no mention of the reason for convening the meeting, but sources said the panchayat assembled to discuss a matter concerning Chander’s son and a girl of the village. The two were reportedly in a relationship.

“Ever since the last sarpanch elections, Arinder Singh nursed a grudge against my husband. He hit my husband with shoes and made casteist remarks. Humiliated, he consumed poison on May 31,” alleged the complainant.

A handwritten suicide note reportedly written by Chander was recovered from his house. He reportedly wrote that the sarpanch’s father took out his shoe to hit him.

The accused, however, told the media he neither hit Chander with shoes nor made casteist remarks. — TNS