Meerut: Members of the Dalit community had planned a ‘mahapanchayat’ on Thursday to protest police inaction in the death of a 17-year- old boy from the community. The victim was allegedly beaten to death by ‘upper-caste’ members in Uldepur village on the outskirts of Meerut on August 9.
The police, however, took preemptive action to prevent the mahapanchayat from taking place.
The police detained Dalit activist Sushil Gautam and five others in Meerut on Thursday. Credit: Munish Kumar
The family of the slain boy has charged the police with refusing to take action against those responsible for the crime. The police, instead, according to the family, have filed cases against them.
Late on Tuesday night, the police attempted to crack down on the Meerut-based activists leading the protest. With the objective of detaining the activists, the police reached their homes, but the activists were not there. The police then repeated the attempt early on Thursday morning, also without success.
However, as the day wore on and activists and protestors reached Chaudhary Charan Singh Park, the site of the protest, they found a massive police cavalcade waiting there. Six activists, including Dalit leader Sushil Gautam, were then picked up by the police and taken to Civil Lines police station.
The police next turned its attention to the protestors who had travelled in tractors and tempos from villages around Meerut. Among them were the family members of the 17-year old, Rohit Jatav, who was beaten to death.
As they began gathering at the spot, the police summarily told them to go back home. Around 50 police men, with no women police personnel, ushered the protestors, including several women, outside.
“We will not go. We lost our son,” Lakshmi Devi, the mother of the deceased told the police. “There will be a lathi charge if you don’t go,” a police officer responded, while trying to push the protestors back on to the tractors they travelled in.
Credit: Munish Kumar
“Marein bhi hum. Case bhi humare khilaf likhen jayen aur hum virodh bhi nahi kar sakte (It is us who die. Cases are then filed against us and we aren’t even allowed to protest),” said Mithlesh Devi.
The police argued and told the protestors that Section 144 had been clamped down on the area. Despite this, two other protests – a farmers’ agitation and a workers’ protest demanding higher wages – were allowed to be held at the same spot.
“But protests for this issue are not allowed,” said Ram Arj, the circle officer of the Civil Lines police station.
“We had told them earlier that they are not allowed to protest. Yet they came. Section 144 had been imposed,” superintendent of police (rural), Rajesh Kumar said. However, he could not give a convincing response as to why other protests were allowed at the same site that had been declared out of bounds for Dalit protesters. “The others must have taken permission,” Kumar said.
“In this country, people of our caste have no rights. They killed my son. Then they filed false cases against us. But those who killed my son have not been arrested,” said Lakshmi Devi.
A police personnel getting increasingly agitated as the protestors delayed leaving the protest site, said, “Jaldi chalo nahi to dande chalenge (Move quickly or the lathis will fall).”
Credit: Munish Kumar
Meanwhile, the activists detained by the police were allowed to leave after a couple of hours. The police did not press any charges against them. “It is our democratic right to protest. They did not allow that to happen. But we will not give up. We will continue demanding justice for our community. They may stop us once. But they are powerless in the face of a mass movement,” said Sushil Gautam, among the six activists who were detained.
The protestors have been assured that the district magistrate and the senior superintendent of police will meet them on August 31 to address their concerns.