Taking serious view of the atrocities against dalits by upper castes, the Supreme Court on Monday summoned deputy commissioner of Hisar in Haryana to explain the death of an old man and his handicapped daughter belonging to ‘Valmiki’ community and vandalising 18 houses in one of such attacks in Mirchpur last month.
Issuing notice to the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government, a vacation bench of Supreme Court said, “The deputy commissioner is required to come prepared to court with the relevant facts and seek instruction from the state about the rehabilitation of 150 Valmikis who are said to be the victims of the upper castes (attack).”
The deputy commissioner was directed to appear before the court on June 2 by the bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and C.K. Prasad, describing the “killing” of 70-year-old Tarachand and his 18-year-old physically challenged daughter Suman, a worst example of atrocities against dalits.
“We are not stating it merely on the basis of the media reports but form the affidavit on record,” the bench said, while taking cognisance of a PIL petition filed one Jaswant from the dalit community, represented by his counsel Ms Jyoti Mehndiratta.
The petitioner sought thorough inquiry into the April 21 attack on “Valmikis” and grant of adequate compensation to the families of the dead and 150 others rendered homeless due to the burning of their houses.