Social bodies hold protest at Rohtak SP's residence

Representatives of various social and political organisations staged a protest at Rohtak on Saturday over the suicide by IPS officer Y Puran Kumar and the incident in which a shoe was thrown at the Chief Justice of India.

The protesters assembled at Mansarovar Park and marched towards the local mini-secretariat where they submitted a memorandum to the local SDM addressed to the Haryana Governor.

On their way to the mini-secretariat, the protesters also staged a demonstration and raised slogans in front of the residence of the Rohtak Superintendent of Police (SP).

Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya has been named in the FIR registered by the late IGP's wife and IAS officer Amneet P Kumar at Chandigarh. Meanwhile, Bijarniya has already been replaced by Surender Bhoria as Rohtak SP.

The protesters included representatives of Dalit Adhikar Manch, Janwadi Mahila Samiti, Congress, Nagrik Manch, Gyan Vigyan Andolan, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All-India Khet Mazdoor Union and All-India Kisan Sabha etc.

"Dalit and deprived sections in the country have been facing casteism for centuries. They are being oppressed even in a democratic country governed by the Constitution. The circumstances surrounding Dalit IPS officer Y Puran Kumar's death indicate the gravity of the situation and point towards a pattern of discrimination and abuse," they lamented, adding that it was deeply regrettable that a senior police officer was being targeted for exposing caste-based prejudice and harassment.

Maintaining that Kumar's death was an institutional murder and not a suicide, the protesters demanded a judicial inquiry into the circumstances leading to it.

They also sought institutional reforms to curb caste-based discrimination in police, administrative and citizen services.

The protest march was led by Dalit Adhikar Manch leader Kamlesh Lahli, district Congress president Kuldeep Singh, prominent Dalit leader Dr Swadesh Kabir, CITU leader Satbir Singh, All-India Khet Mazdoor Sangathan leader Sandeep Singh, Janwadi Mahila Samiti leader Rajkumari Dahiya, Gyan Vigyan Andolan leaders Dr RS Dahiya and Pramod Gori, Kisan Sabha leader Balwan Singh and Nagrik Manch leader Labh Singh Hooda.