A fact-finding team which visited the village says he is involved in several cases. Financial assistance and free education for the victim’s children sought.
Jaipur: A temple priest at a village in Dausa district of Rajasthan allegedly murdered a Dalit man over the weekend purportedly for answering the call of nature at some distance from the place of worship. The priest, known for his caste biases, used to misbehave with Dalits and would not allow them to enter the temple or worship there. Hanuman Das, priest of the Hanuman temple in Khartala Nayawas village, allegedly killed 35-year-old Ramphool Koli with a scimitar after verbally abusing him on 25 October 2008. He also mutilated the victim’s body and disfigured his face.
The priest had been living in the Dalit-dominated village, 22 km from the district headquarters, for five years and had himself built the temple on a piece of government land. Later he encroached upon adjacent government land and is said to be illegally occupying the 25-bigha plot of land.
The police arrested Hanuman Das after registering a case against him under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3(2) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The accused has been remanded to police custody.
A fact-finding team of Jaipur-based Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR), which visited Khartala Nayawas after the murder over the weekend, alleged that the police are now trying to weaken the case by diluting its caste angle. The case under the SC/ST Act did not mention that the Dalit victim was killed as a result of untouchability practised by the priest.
CDR coordinator Ramdayal Bairwa said on 28 October 2008 that witnesses had deposed to having seen the priest’s brother, Kailash Chand Rana – with a known criminal background – on the spot, giving rise to suspicion that he was also involved in the murder. However, the police had not registered any case against him. Despite being informed of the crime early in the morning, the police reportedly reached the spot four hours later, when Ramphool had bled to death.
Hanuman Das was earlier involved in several cases of untouchability against Dalits, including one against former Sarpanch Maya Mahawar.
Bairwa said Dalits in the village had brought the “objectionable activities” of the accused to the notice of the police, but to no avail. He used to demand money from Dalits for establishing a “gausahla” and constructing an inn on the illegally occupied land while not allowing them anywhere near the temple or a hand-pump nearby.
The CDR demanded immediate arrest of all the accused in the case and payment of financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh under Section 12(4) of SC/ST Act to the victim’s family. The CDR also demanded that the district administration make arrangements for education of Ramphool’s daughter Lakshmi and son Mukesh in a residential government school and include them in Palanhar Yojana and provide security to his family and witnesses in the case.
Jaipur: A temple priest at a village in Dausa district of Rajasthan allegedly murdered a Dalit man over the weekend purportedly for answering the call of nature at some distance from the place of worship. The priest, known for his caste biases, used to misbehave with Dalits and would not allow them to enter the temple or worship there. Hanuman Das, priest of the Hanuman temple in Khartala Nayawas village, allegedly killed 35-year-old Ramphool Koli with a scimitar after verbally abusing him on 25 October 2008. He also mutilated the victim’s body and disfigured his face.
The priest had been living in the Dalit-dominated village, 22 km from the district headquarters, for five years and had himself built the temple on a piece of government land. Later he encroached upon adjacent government land and is said to be illegally occupying the 25-bigha plot of land.
The police arrested Hanuman Das after registering a case against him under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3(2) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The accused has been remanded to police custody.
A fact-finding team of Jaipur-based Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR), which visited Khartala Nayawas after the murder over the weekend, alleged that the police are now trying to weaken the case by diluting its caste angle. The case under the SC/ST Act did not mention that the Dalit victim was killed as a result of untouchability practised by the priest.
CDR coordinator Ramdayal Bairwa said on 28 October 2008 that witnesses had deposed to having seen the priest’s brother, Kailash Chand Rana – with a known criminal background – on the spot, giving rise to suspicion that he was also involved in the murder. However, the police had not registered any case against him. Despite being informed of the crime early in the morning, the police reportedly reached the spot four hours later, when Ramphool had bled to death.
Hanuman Das was earlier involved in several cases of untouchability against Dalits, including one against former Sarpanch Maya Mahawar.
Bairwa said Dalits in the village had brought the “objectionable activities” of the accused to the notice of the police, but to no avail. He used to demand money from Dalits for establishing a “gausahla” and constructing an inn on the illegally occupied land while not allowing them anywhere near the temple or a hand-pump nearby.
The CDR demanded immediate arrest of all the accused in the case and payment of financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh under Section 12(4) of SC/ST Act to the victim’s family. The CDR also demanded that the district administration make arrangements for education of Ramphool’s daughter Lakshmi and son Mukesh in a residential government school and include them in Palanhar Yojana and provide security to his family and witnesses in the case.
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