CBI to investigate Dalit killings in Faridabad, CM stays away
The Haryana government has offered a job to one member of the children's family.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has agreed to investigate the murder of two Dalit children, who were burnt to death in Sunped village, Faridabad, on Tuesday. The state government has decided to offer a job to one member of the victims' family, Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Krishan Pal said. However, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who had said he would visit the family, decided to cancel his trip on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, their family had refused to cremate them and villagers had blocked the Delhi-Agra highway near Sunped, carrying their bodies, for several hours. However, the villagers have now told police they will remove the barricades as the family has decided to go ahead with the last rites, NDTV reported.
Eleven people have been arrested by the police in connection with the incident so far, while eight policemen have been suspended. The police suspect caste-based tension behind the crime, saying that the village has a history of violence between Dalits and upper-caste villagers.
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi was among several political leaders who either condemned the incident or reached Sunped on Wednesday. Gandhi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Khattar and the Bharatiya Janata Party, saying that "their attitude is if somebody is weak, they can be crushed". Gandhi also lashed out at the media when asked about claims that the visit was just a photo opportunity for him, saying he would “keep coming to such places”.