Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – In a controversial incident in Haryana, a 30-year-old road used by Dalits to access a temple was closed, sparking protests. The road, located in the Ballabhgarh area of Faridabad, has long provided a route to the Shiv temple through a Dalit colony.
Locals also accused the police of misconduct.
Geeta and her sister Ganga Devi, residents of the area, claimed that on June 21, the road was being blocked from one side. When they protested, those closing the road reportedly called the police. Officers, including City Ballabhgarh police station in-charge Mahendra and Agrasen Chowki in-charge Kapil, arrived at the scene.
Ganga and Geeta allege that upon learning about their Dalit identity, in-charge Mahendra used casteist slurs and questioned their need to visit the temple. When the sisters protested, they were allegedly beaten, dragged out of their home, and forcibly taken to the police station by the Durga Shakti team. They were detained for four hours.
“While the police were manhandling us, my one-and-a-half-year-old child fell and got injured,” said Geeta. “All the evidence, including the video of the incident, was in our mobile phones. After they detained us, our phones were confiscated and all the data was deleted from our phones.”
The Dalit community was outraged by the incident, leading to a protest outside the police station. They reported a lack of action from higher authorities.
When contacted, City Ballabhgarh police station in-charge Mahendra denied the allegations. “The accusations made by the women are completely false,” he stated. “The people of the committee brought the women to the police station with the help of Durga Shakti regarding the temple matter.”
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.