Dalit mother, daughter stripped in Ajmer
Rajan Mahan
Thursday, June 12, 2008 (Ajmer)
In a horrific reminder of caste brutalities in Rajasthan, a teenage Dalit girl and her mother were thrashed and stripped by some upper caste men in a village in Ajmer.
Their crime to deserve such treatment was that Phooli Bai resisted two Jat men, who wanted to forcibly take away her 16-year-old daughter, Ramkanya on Monday evening.
The angry men then humiliated the Dalit women in full public view of the village.
Besides thrashing them, Phooli Bai said that they were stripped in full public view at Sihaar village in Ajmer.
Phooli Bai said, ''They tore off my daughter's clothes and tried to drag her outside our home. When I tried to save her, they tore off my clothes also. They not only beat us badly but also shamed us in front of the whole village.''
The tormentors even threw out the Dalit family from the village, threatening them with worse punishment if they told their plight to anyone.
Since Tuesday the frightened Dalit family is sitting at the office of the Deputy Superintendent of police in Ajmer's Kekri town and they refuse to go back to their village for fear of losing their lives.
Satya Narayan Kamad, Phooli Bai's husband said, ''As we have complained against them, our fear is that they will kill us. They won't spare us now.''
The two Jat men are identified as Bannalal Dhakad and Jasraj Dhakad, who have now fled.
Most villagers claim that they don't know anything about the incident but the police have registered a case under the Prevention of Atrocities against SC/ST Act.
Sarita Singh, Dy SP at Kekri said, ''The case from the Dalit family of Satyanarain Kamad has been registered under Section 323, section 341 and 354 IPC and under the SC/ST Act. We are investigating the matter.''
Meanwhile the Dalit family remains petrified and their alleged tormentors continue to abscond.
This tragedy is a grim reminder of how deep caste lines run in rural Rajasthan, even 60 years after independence.
Does anyone know if justice was rendered in this case? Follow-up?
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