Faridabad Dalit burning: RAF platoon deployed to maintain peace

Faridabad: A platoon of Haryana's special Rapid Action Force was deployed on Friday to maintain law and order in Sunpedh village where two children of a Dalit family were burnt alive by upper caste men three days ago.

A segment, comprising six officials, of the platoon shall be present round-the-clock at the victim's house, sitting on a charpoy right outside the room in which the family was sleeping when the incident took place.

The room has now been sealed by a team of forensic experts who visited the spot yesterday evening.

"The special RAF platoon arrived late last night and their duty started at 8 AM today. They will be present at the spot in two shifts of 12 hours each," said an official.

Most officials in the platoon were drawn out from the three companies of special RAF officials still deployed at Atali village near Ballabhgarh where communal clashes had taken place around three months ago, said the official.

Villagers confined themselves to their houses, leaving shops closed and streets deserted even as more than 300 police personnel are deployed in the area.

"Police personnel from several districts, including Ballabhgarh, Faridabad and Gurgaon, have been deployed here to maintain law and order, though the situation is under control right now," said a police official.

Meanwhile, Jitender, the father of the deceased children, is undergoing treatment at a government hospital, where he was taken last evening after he developed burn wound infections on his hands.

The doctor attending Jitender said that he had not taken food or water for almost 20 hours and also complained of breathlessness.

Several political leaders, including Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, visited him and condemned the incident.

Seven persons have so far been arrested in connection with the incident. In their complaint, the family had named 11 people who allegedly scaled walls in the wee hours of Tuesday, poured fuel inside the room through a window and set it afire, said police.

Two-and-a-half-years-old Vaibhav and 11-month-old Divya died in the incident.