4 deaths in month revive caste fault lines in Hisar

The death of four persons from the Dalit community under unfortunate circumstances, followed by violent reactions from activists — which led to the arrest of 25 individuals and registration of five criminal cases in less than a month — has once again turned Hisar into a hotbed of caste tensions, requiring a ‘handle with care and caution’ response from the authorities.

Hisar has long been a centre of Dalit activism, especially after the 2010 Mirchpur violence, where a woman and her father were burnt to death. In that case, 32 upper caste accused were convicted.

Later, a lobby of Dalit activists emerged here. It led to a high number of cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, though over 50 per cent of them stood cancelled by the police.

However, the sudden rise in confrontations between Dalit organisations and the police has also deepened the fault lines between SCs and other communities.

Realising the threat to social fabric, a group of activists from Dalit and upper caste communities, along with retired police personnel, have formed the Sarv Jatia Bhaichara Manch to intervene before the situation deteriorates further.

SP Chalia, a Dalit member of the manch and retired Assistant Conservator from the Archaeology Department, admitted that some activists crossed the line in handling the incidents.

“Unfortunately, some activists have unnecessarily targeted other communities and disturbed the social fabric. We have come together to make up for the damage done,” Chalia said, emphasising that activists should instead work with the administration and demand better civic amenities, education and healthcare in Dalit localities. “People from all communities are eager to support such a movement. It will not only strengthen social harmony, but also pressure the authorities to improve the living conditions of the Dalits,” he added.

The current chain of events began with the death of Ganesh Balmiki on July 7 during a police raid. While the police booked several individuals for allegedly attacking officers, a counter-FIR was filed against cops for Ganesh's death. The subsequent deaths of Sanjay, Hunny and Poonam also sparked protests by Dalit activists.

The police acted tough and booked about 240 activists for violent acts. Defending the FIRs, a senior police official said, “We are acting strictly to ensure law and order. Everyone is equal before the law.”

Among those arrested include Rajat Kalsan, an activist, who was booked and arrested for allegedly making provocative statements and assaulting cops.

Official records reveal that Hisar has emerged as a flashpoint of caste-related cases. According to NCRB data for 2022, out of a total 1,633 FIRs across Haryana, Hisar alone saw 319 FIRs under the SC/ST Act. Palwal followed with 103 FIRs and Karnal with 90, which apparently point to heightened caste tensions in Hisar. The data obtained through an RTI application reveals that since 2019, of the 117 FIRs under the SC/ST Act in Hisar, 74 were cancelled after investigation. The trend has continued: In 2023, of 248 FIRs, 127 were cancelled; in 2024, as many as 79 FIRs of the total 135 were cancelled; in 2025 (up to July 31), 21 of 52 FIRs were cancelled. These numbers have sparked a fresh debate about the growing use and suspected misuse of caste-based legal provisions, pointing to a volatile caste cauldron region in Haryana.