Rajasthan dalits are forced to flee village

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ASIANAGE 22 July, 2008 05:09:50

By Our Correspondent

Jaipur, July 22: The dalits of Dhodekapura, in Dholpur district, were forced to flee following persistent threats from "upper caste" Hindus. On July 9, caste Hindus gunned down four dalits on their way to report for National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme work.

The affected dalit families fled Dholpur on Monday saying the caste Hindus continued to threaten them with dire consequences and that their crops were damaged. "Our standing millet crops have been destroyed by influential people and they occupied our well," said Bhagwan Singh of Dhodekapura.

According to the Dalit Rights Centre in Dholpur, over 40 dalits took shelter in Dholpur as they were terrified. The Dalits took out a procession in Dholpur on Tuesday and staged a dharna outside the collector’s office. "We will not withdraw from here till the administration ensures our protection," said Satish Lahri of the Dalit Rights Centre. The killings of four dalits at Dhodekapura on July 9 were due to an old dispute with the dalits. A dozen people have been named in the FIR but the police has been able to arrest only two. "It is chief minister Vasundhra Raje’s home district, but she did not visit the affected families," said Satish Kumar of the Dalit Rights Centre.