CPI (M) held statewide protests in Himachal against the increasing atrocities on Dalits
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) held statewide protests in Himachal Pradesh against the increasing atrocities on the Dalit community. These protests were held at district and block headquarters. Various social and Dalit organizations also participated in these demonstrations. During this time, the party submitted memorandums to Chief Minister Shri Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu through Deputy Commissioners, Sub-Divisional Officers, and Tehsildars.
Hundreds of people, including leaders from 20 social and Dalit organizations, participated in the protest at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Shimla. Following this, a delegation submitted a memorandum to the Additional District Magistrate. During this event, the father and uncle of twelve-year-old Sikandar, a victim of caste-based harassment in Chirgaon, were present. Among those present at the protest at the Shimla Deputy Commissioner’s office were Rakesh Singha, Sanjay Chauhan, Kuldeep Singh Tanwar, Vijendra Mehra, Jagat Ram, Falmma, Satyavan Pundir, Jayashiv Thakur, Gopal Jhilta, Uttam Kashyap, Meer Sukh, Preetpal Mattu, Advocate Parvati Devi, Uma Lal, Vivek Kashyap, Ruhal Chand, Mast Ram, Sonia, Rama Rawat, Karmchand Bhatia, Sushil Buddh, Rajesh Gazta, Rajesh Kosh, Anil Thakur, Sunny Sikta, Vivek Nehra, Pawan Kumar, Yogi Singania, Mukesh, Ritesh, Balak Ram, Pratap Chauhan, Kapil Negi, Nokh Ram, Ashok Thakur, Kapil Sharma, Jagmohan Thakur, and others.
Addressing the protest, various speakers said that witnessing the increasing atrocities on the Dalit community in different parts of Himachal Pradesh is extremely saddening and painful. Such inhuman behavior is not permissible in any civilized society. Three incidents – one in the Sainj Valley of Kullu, another in Jangla of Rohru, and one during the Dussehra festival in Kullu – have brought shame to Himachal Pradesh. The Indian Constitution has no place for such barbaric behavior and acts, and it is the government’s constitutional responsibility to take effective steps to prevent such caste-based harassment. They stated that in the Sainj Valley of Kullu, a Dalit woman was raped in the forest, and her body was cut into pieces and carried in a sack to destroy all evidence of this heinous crime. In Jangla, Chirgaon, a 12-year-old Dalit boy named Sikandar was locked in a cowshed for entering a woman from an upper-caste household, and a goat was demanded as punishment. Due to this humiliation and trauma, the child committed suicide. In Kullu, during the Dussehra festival, an official was humiliated and beaten for allegedly violating the rules of the Dev Samaj. The recent three cases have been shocking, and a section of society is justifying these acts, or the Savarna community is trying to suppress the relevant facts necessary for the investigation under the guise of local customs.
They have demanded that the state government provide justice to the victims, fulfill all constitutional obligations to deliver justice, and take action against the perpetrators according to the law. The government should protect the constitutional rights of Dalits, backward classes, and the underprivileged. Articles 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, etc., of the Constitution should be strictly enforced to ensure the rights of Dalits and to prevent Dalit persecution, harassment, untouchability, discrimination, and murders. The family of Sikandar, the victim of caste-based harassment, should be provided with security, and the woman responsible for his suicide and others should be arrested under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and given strict punishment.
