NewzVille Desk
The Congress today alleged that crimes and atrocities against Dalits were rising in BJP-ruled states as the culprits were being protected and patronised by the governments there.
Addressing a press conference Chairman of the SC Department of the AICC, Rajendra Pal Gautam, raised a recent incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district, where a Dalit girl was abducted and her mother was brutally killed when she tried to save her.
He said when he, along with some others, attempted to meet the affected family, they were prevented from doing so by the local administration and the police.
He said the entire area was turned into a police cantonment. He noted that had the UP government shown similar resolve against criminals, there would not have been so many crimes and atrocities against Dalits in the state.
The Congress leader alleged that the Yogi government was completely indifferent and discriminatory towards Dalits, backwards and minorities.
He said that in cases where the accused belonged to the Dalit or minority communities, bulldozers were instantly run over their houses. But, he added, when the culprit belonged to the upper caste and the victims were Dalits or members of minority communities, no such action was taken. “Yogi’s bulldozers rust when the culprits belong to certain castes,” he remarked.
Gautam also said that the central government was treating crimes and atrocities against Dalits lightly. He said that no official data on such cases had been made public since 2022.
He said that atrocities and crimes against Dalits could be curbed only if such cases were investigated, tried, and decided in a time-bound manner, and the culprits punished.
The AICC SC Department chairman also criticised the Delhi Police for not granting permission to hold a protest against the Meerut incident at Jantar Mantar. He said a police official told him that permission had to be sought ten days in advance.
