Several Dalit organisations held a demonstration in Hisar on Thursday to protest against the Hathras and Balrampur incidents. The protesters took out a candle march in the evening demonstrating against the Union and the Uttar Pradesh governments.
Savitribai Phule Mahila Adhikar Manch president Poonam Boodh said the situation in the country was very appalling and being a Dalit woman was a crime under the regime of the BJP. She added that the Hathras incident had brought shame to the entire nation and the perpetrators of the crime should be hanged. She demanded that the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 be amended to make it more stringent. Several organisations, including Dhanak Siksha Samiti, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Charitable Trust and Valmiki Yuva Jagriti Sabha Saatrod took part in the protest.
The Hisar unit of the BSP also held a demonstration outside the mini-secretariat during the day. The BSP workers raised slogans against the Centre and the U.P. government and accused them of being anti-Dalit and anti-women. The protesters also submitted a memorandum to Sub-Divisional Magistrate to be sent to the President.
On Wednesday, the Dalit protesters, outraged over the twin incidents, sat on a dharna outside the mini-secretariat and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. They accused the U.P. police of showing caste bias in the case and discriminating against the Dalits. BSP leader and advocate Bajrang Indal said that the present regime was targeting Dalits across the country and there was no end to the atrocities being committed to them.