Rajasthan: Houses of BJP, Congress Dalit leaders set on fire by violent mob, curfew imposed
Ahmedabad: Members of Dalit community block a road wuth a tree as they stage a protest during 'Bharat Bandh' against the alleged 'dilution' of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes act, in Ahmedabad on Monday. PTI Photo (PTI4_2_2018_000217B) Jaipur: The houses of a sitting and a former MLA, both Dalits, were set ablaze by a violent mob on Tuesday afternoon in Hindaun town in Karauli district of Rajasthan, following which curfew was imposed in the area.
A mob of nearly 5,000 people targeted the houses of sitting MLA Rajkumari Jatav and former MLA Bharosilal Jatav. Interestingly, while Rajkumari is from the ruling BJP, Bharosilal is from the Congress and has been a former minister in the State. After the Dalit outrage on Monday, shopkeepers in the area had called for a bandh to protest against alleged incidents of violence, looting and improper conduct towards women on Monday. The police lathi-charged the traders and the mob later clashed with the police. They also vandalised and set ablaze a commercial complex said to be owned by BharosiLal Jatav.
Clearly, the police failed to anticipate the counter-reaction of upper castes to the Dalit violence. When force did not work, the police fired tear gas shells – some of which fell on a government school, leading to chaos in which around a dozen schoolchildren were injured, officials said. Normalcy is, however, returning to Rajasthan, with the exception of a few places. The police held a flag march in Bharatpur, and the BSF was called to assist the administration in Barmer. “The traders’ association and the upper castes are agitated in Hindaun. They took out a procession and tried to enter the SC/ST dominated areas,” the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) said.