http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mirchpur-violence-jats-continue-protest-for-sixth-day/739974/
Mirchpur violence: Jats continue protest for sixth day
Agencies Posted online: Thu Jan 20 2011, 12:52 hrs
Jind : Residents of Mirchpur and adjoining villages continued their
indefinite sit-in on railway tracks here for the sixth day today,
remaining adamant on their demand for a fresh probe into the killing
of two Dalits in April last year after which 98 members of their
community were booked.
Members of the pre-dominant Jat community have been sitting on the
tracks at Julani village near Jind railway station since January 15,
due to which railway traffic on the Jind-Jakhal section of the
Delhi-Ferozepur route has been disrupted.
Despite the cold weather, about 5,000 people, including women, remain
squatted on the railway tracks throughout the day while in the night
around 200 people carry on the dharna.
The protesters have pitched three tents, one on the track itself,
which also store their blankets, quilts and ration.
Their food is cooked near the protest site with residents of nearby
villages including Julani and Sangatpura ensuring supplies of
vegetables, cereals, wheat flour and fuel. Tea is available throughout
the day.
Police personnel have been deployed in strength to ensure maintenance of peace.
After the upper-caste villagers began their indefinite dharna, the
call for which was issued by a Jat Mahapanchayat of 42 khaps or caste
councils, long-route passenger and goods trains have been diverted via
other routes including Jakhal while some local passenger trains have
been cancelled.
The villagers are protesting the booking of 98 members of their
upper-caste community in the case relating to the killing of
70-year-old Dalit Tara Chand and his 17-year-old daughter Suman in
April last year.
They are also opposed to the shifting of the trial of the case to a
court in New Delhi and lodging of the accused in a prison in the
national capital and are demanding that the probe be held either at
Rohtak or Hisar and the accused be lodged in either of the two jails.
A Delhi court had on January 9 directed the Haryana Government to move
all the 98 accused from Hisar jail to New Delhi's Tihar prison
following the transfer of their trial to a special court in Delhi by
an order of the Supreme Court on December 9 last year, after the
aggrieved party had approached the apex court claiming that a fair
trial was not possible within the state.
Tara Chand and his daughter were killed when their house was set afire
on April 21 last year in Mirchpur district after which 98 members of
the Jat community were booked in connection with the case.
Though Mirchpur village falls in Hisar district, the protesters are
squatting on railway tracks in Jind as their village is only 15 kms
from here.
The Haryana Government's attempts to broker peace with the protestors
have been futile as they paid no heed to PWD Minister Randeep Singh
Surjewala's assurance on January 18 that the state government was
likely to move the Supreme Court to shift further investigations in
the case to the CBI.
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