Mob burns dalit houses in Odisha
Over 30 thatched houses belonging to dalits were set afire allegedly by upper caste people at a village in India's eastern state of Odisha.
New Delhi: Over 30 thatched houses belonging to dalits were set afire allegedly by upper caste people at village Lathore near Patnagarh in Bolangir district on Sunday, Orissa’s Director General of Police Manomohan Praharaj has confirmed. The arson followed accusations of theft from a shop.
A senior school Dalit boy Ganesh Suna was believed to have stolen a shirt and beaten up by the shopkeeper. Minutes later, another elderly dalit, Gouranga Suna, was also beaten up following which, 10 young members from the community went to the shopkeeper to seek an explanation. Heated words ensued and this took shape of caste violence. As dalit families fled the homes, a mob of some 50 upper-caste people lighted their thatch huts.
“They attacked the fire tenders and damaged machinery and water pipes while preventing fire brigade personnel to douse the fire. Even the police personnel were not allowed to go inside when the houses were burning,” Additional Superintendent of Police, Srikant Mishra was quoted saying. Police have arrested 42 people in connection with the tragedy, he added.
Victims are receiving relief at temporary camps running from a local school. Terming the incident as “tragic”, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced “appropriate action will be taken against the culprits involved in setting fire to dalit houses.”
About 120 policemen have been deployed in the village. Police were also deployed at the relief camps housing dalits, Praharaj said.
According to Atrocitynews, a dalit news website, the mob was provided with free fuel to set the huts on fire. It said that the community’s men have fled to the forest.
