Describing the atrocities against dalits as “mental block” of the upper castes, the Supreme Court on Wednesday warned the B.S. Hooda government in Haryana against any further attack on the marginalised communities, saying it might result in a stern action.
“These are social roadblocks and mental blocks (of upper castes). Solutions can’t be enforced. There will be initial hiccups but we cannot allow relocation of people out of the village no further such incident should occur in the state. If the state government would be found lacking in response, it would be dealt with sternly,” a vacation bench told Haryana’s Advocate General H.S. Hooda and deputy commissioner Sirsa, who appeared before it for having additional charge of Hissar district where two dalits were burnt alive by upper caste people last month.
The top court gave 60 days time to the Haryana government to rehabilitate 18 families whose houses were burnt in Mirchpur village on April 21 and “safer return” of over 150 families, forced to migrate taking shelter in a Valmiki temple in the national capital.
The bench comprising Justices G.S. Singhvi and C.K. Prasad further directed that the members of the affected families should be provided employment under NREGA or any other state sponsored employment scheme.