December 16, 2022: Two Dalits are killed outside an army camp in Rajouri, Jammu. The deputy commissioner announces Rs 1 lakh for each of the bereaved families and government jobs for the relatives, the brother of one of the deceased said. The next day, lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha announces an additional Rs 5 lakh each, taking the total amount for each family to Rs 6 lakh.
January 1, 2023: Six people are killed in a village 7km from the December 16 attack site in Rajouri. Sinha announces Rs 10 lakh for the families of each of the victims, and government jobs for their relatives.
Srinagar: Dalits in Jammu have asked lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha’s administration to treat their slain community members on a par with upper-caste Hindus.
“The death cannot be compensated, LG. Regrets over (all deaths) and our tributes to the dead. You don’t treat people as equals in their lives but at least treat them as equals in death. Rs 10 lakh and jobs for those killed by terrorists at Dhangri (in Rajouri) but only Rs 5 lakh for SCs (Scheduled Castes) killed in Rajouri,” R.K. Kalsotra, state president of the All India Confederation of SC, ST and OBC Organisations, tweeted in Hindi on Wednesday. Relatives of the victims told this newspaper later in the day about the initial and separate Rs 1 lakh each announced by the deputy commissioner.
Surinder Kumar and Kamal Kishore, both Dalits, were killed outside an army camp at Phaliana village in Rajouri on December 16. The army blamed militants for the deaths but villagers, including the families of the victims, have accused the army of killing them. The government has ordered an investigation.
Over a fortnight later, militants killed six civilians, including two children, and injured several at Dhangri village. The six dead in the New Year’s Day attack were Vihan Sharma, Samiksha Sharma, Satish Kumar, Deepak Kumar, Pritam Lal and Shishu Pal.
Dheeraj Kumar, sarpanch of Dhangri village, said most of the six victims were related to one another and all were Brahmins.
This story was originally published in telegraphindia.com . Read the full story here