Haryana cop, revenue official held for arson attack

HISAR - A policeman and a revenue official were arrested Sunday in Haryana’s Hisar district for the arson attack on Dalit houses in Mirchpur village last month, in which two people were burnt alive, an official said.

“We have arrested the naib tehsildar (sub-district revenue officer) Jage Ram and SHO (station house officer) Vinod Kajal. They have been booked for murder and violations of various sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” Ram Roop, investigating officer in the case, told IANS here Sunday.

He added: “Both of them were presented before the court today (Sunday) and were sent to judicial custody.”

Earlier, police had arrested 25 people after the attack, the cause of which they said was enmity between two communities.

A 70-year-old man and his 18-year-old physically challenged daughter were killed after they sustained burn injuries and at least 15 houses were damaged in an attack April 21 on Dalit families by some elements in Mirchpur village of the district.

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi paid a surprise visit to village April 29 and spent time meeting the victims of the attack.

Accompanied by senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, Rahul Gandhi visited various houses that were set afire April 21 and he also listened to the grievances of the families of the victims.

In the meanwhile, the district administration has assured all help to the victims.

“We are in the process of fulfilling promised assistance to all the victim families. Security forces have been deployed in the area to make Dalit families feel secure,” Deputy Commissioner (Hisar) O.P. Sheron, said.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda visited Mirchpur village April 27 and announced compensation of Rs.10 lakh each and employment to a family member of the two people killed in the arson attack.

He had announced financial assistance of Rs.25,000 and free treatment to the injured. Hooda promised that the damage to houses and domestic goods would be compensated for by the government and two quintals wheat would be given to each family as immediate relief.