NEW DELHI: In the wake of the killing of a Dalit labourer in Sangrur, Punjab, a BJP fact-finding panel has claimed that Maoism is spreading in the state on account of caste violence.
BJP vice-president, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, said that the Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah is aware of the issue and is taking appropriate steps to address the matter.
“Atrocities against Dalits in the state are giving rise to the Naxal influence in Punjab. The fact-finding panel saw pictures of Naxal leaders and Naxal influenced literature at the Dalit Dharamshala in Sangrur. It’s a matter of concern and we have brought it to the attention of the Minister for Home Affairs,” Sahasrabuddhe told reporters on Monday.
The fact-finding panel consisted of Sahasrabuddhe, former Union Minister Satyapal Singh, and Lok Sabha MP V D Ram.
“The panel visited Changliwala village, where a Dalit labourer was brutally murdered. We met the family members of the deceased, as well as local officials and an NGO. We have submitted the report to the BJP chief, party working president J P Nadda, Union Minister for social justice Thaverchand Gehlot and Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore,” said Sahasrabuddhe.
The panel members shared the extent of brutalities committed against the Dalit labourer, Jagmail Singh, who later succumbed injuries.
“Cruelty meted out to the deceased Dalit is beyond comprehension. He was first tied to a pole and then brutally assaulted. The miscreants afterwards poured acid, burning his body. He later developed gangrene, leading to amputation on account of lack of timely medical treatment,” said Sahasrabuddhe, saying that the incident was a case of mob lynching.
The BJP leader said that the incident could be seen in the larger context of the violence against Dalit in the Malwa region of Punjab, with the police and the administration not acting with needed alacrity under political pressure.
The BJP sought constitution of a judicial probe into the incident.