The alleged murder of two young Dalit men at Ranasar village in Rajasthan’s Didwana-Kuchaman district earlier this week has taken a political twist ahead of Assembly elections in the State. Three Dalit men in their early 20s were chased and run over by a speeding sports utility vehicle (SUV) after an altercation at a highway dhaba (eatery). Two of them died on the spot and the third was seriously injured.
The injured man, Kishna Ram, has been admitted to a hospital in Jaipur, while the deceased were identified as Raju Ram and Chunni Lal. All of them belonged to the Scheduled Caste Meghwal community. Police have detained three suspects in connection with the August 28 incident.
Though the police launched immediate action to investigate the case and identify the culprits, the Opposition BJP has targeted the Congress government with the allegation that Dalits and vulnerable sections of society are not safe under the current dispensation. BJP State spokesperson Laxmikant Bharadwaj said there has been a complete breakdown of law and order in the State.
Members of the Meghwal community, staging a dharna outside the Government Hospital in Kuchaman, have refused to accept the bodies of the deceased and demanded immediate arrest of all the accused. The bodies have been kept in the hospital’s mortuary.
BJP national president J.P. Nadda on Thursday appointed a four-member committee of MPs to probe into the deaths with a visit to Didwana-Kuchaman, and submit a report. The committee’s members are Rajya Sabha Members Brij Lal (a former Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh), Kanta Kardam, and Sikander Kumar, and Lok Sabha Member from Bharatpur, Ranjeeta Koli.
Sources said the crash by the SUV may be considered a deliberate act to kill the youths because of its severity. The limbs of the victims, who were riding on a motorcycle, were dismembered and strewn along the Hanumangarh-Kishangarh mega highway near Ranasar village. Additional Director-General of Police (Crime) Dinesh M.N. was among the senior officers who visited the spot of the mishap.
The anger among Dalits over the incident may create difficulties for the ruling Congress in the run-up to the Assembly election, due in December this year. Of the 200 Assembly seats, 34 are reserved for the 17.83% Scheduled Caste population in the State. As 19 of these seats are with Congress, it will be crucial for the party to retain its traditional support base.
