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Four dalits burnt alive in Rajasthan
Kamla Bora in Jaipur, September 26, 2000 In a gruesome incident, four members of a Dalit family were burnt alive by assailants in Nawalgarh town in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. The victims -- husband, wife and two children -- were sleeping in their house when the assailants poured kerosene and set them on fire, the police reported. The police were informed about the fire in the wee hours of the morning. On reaching the site an assistant police inspector found the burnt bodies of a woman, Parvati (30), and her two daughters aged four months, and seven years respectively. Her husband Hariram Balai had some signs of life and was rushed to hospital, where he succumbed to burn injuries later. Personal animosity is stated to be the cause of the killings. The police said Hariram's family was involved in five court cases with members of his own caste. The hearing in one of the cases took place on Monday. The police has registered a case under sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code and arrested three persons in this connection. The arrested persons were reportedly named by Hariram in his dying declaration to the police. Those arrested included a city councilor belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party who is a kerosene dealer. A team of forensic experts has been rushed to Nawalgarh from Jaipur for Investigation, while the bodies of the victims have been cremated after post-mortem. The district collector A C Bhatt has sanctioned Rs 20,000 to the family of the victims from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. |