|
Dalit houses set ablaze in Akola, 19 people hurt |
|
|
|
|
Saturday, 03 September 2005 |
|
Close on the heels of the Guhana incident in which more than 50 houses of Dalits were torched, 15 houses belonging to Dalits were set on fire on 3 September 2005 during violent clashes at Belkhed village near Akola in Maharashtra, forcing the police to use force to disperse the riotous mob.
Nineteen people who suffered injuries in the clashes have been admitted to hospital and are said to be out of danger. Scores of other Dalits have also fled their homes in fear of the violence escalating. The trouble began when some upper caste people objected to the practice of bringing of buffaloes to Datta Madir as part of the festive celebration of Pola. Soon groups of people gathered near the statue of Dr B Ambedkar at the village and indulged in heavy stone pelting. They also set ablaze 15 houses of Dalits and stoned a police vehicle. The police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the violent mob. Fire fighters from the Akola Municipal Corporation extinguished the fire. Senior police officials, including the District Superintendent Police, are camping at the village, where the situation is said to be under control. Additional police forces have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order. The police have booked 22 people in the incident. |
News