Dalit members protest ‘police inaction’ after assault on local leader in Roorkee
ROORKEE: Dalit community members gheraoed Roorkee police station on Sunday, protesting against the alleged police inaction in arresting those accused of assaulting a local leader from Shankerpuri in full public view on Friday. The injured Dalit leader was initially admitted to a local hospital, but due to severe head injuries, he was later shifted to a facility in Dehradun. The victim, Yogesh Kumar, 40, was attacked with sticks and iron rods by over 10 men when he was returning to his village from Haridwar in a car with four friends. The attackers allegedly dragged him out of his vehicle and brutally beat him. Reason behind the attack was personal enmity, locals said. Police, meanwhile, said multiple teams have been deployed to trace the culprits. An FIR was registered on the complaint of Kumar under BNS sections related to rioting and assault. “We have arrested two accused and have also seized the vehicle used in the crime. The remaining accused will be arrested soon,” said SP (rural) SC Suyal. Members of the victim’s group staged a protest at the police station on Sunday, accusing the police of inaction. “Yogesh Kumar was attacked. His life remains in danger as the perpetrators are roaming free. Police should have arrested all of them by now. We have given a 48-hour ultimatum; if all arrests are not made, we will hold a massive protest,” said a protester. Earlier this week, Yogesh and his associates reportedly clashed with the accused over a car parking dispute. Enraged by that incident and allegedly seeking revenge, the accused are said to have carried out the attack. Members of the victim’s group staged a protest at the police station on Sunday, accusing the police of inaction. “Yogesh Kumar was attacked with an intent to kill. His life remains in danger as the accused are still roaming free. The police should have arrested all of them by now. We have given a 48-hour ultimatum; if all arrests are not made, we will hold a massive protest,” said Lokesh Katariya. Police, however, said that multiple teams have been deployed to trace the culprits and that they are closing in on all the accused. “We have arrested two accused in the case and have also recovered the vehicle used in the crime. The remaining accused will be arrested soon,” said SP (rural) SC Suyal. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
800 Dalit families without basic infra since ’75 in U’khand village; HC calls for action
Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court has asked the state govt to explain why no action has been taken to relocate around 800 Dalit families living without electricity, piped water, healthcare, or education in Sundarkhal village in Nainital district, which was given the status of forest village (van gram) in 1975. An HC bench of Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Mahra noted that despite a 2014 committee resolution recommending relocation, no steps were taken to implement it — not even identifying an alternative site. HC fixed June 27 as the date for the final hearing and instructed all parties to be prepared. The bench had earlier directed the forest secretary to submit a progress report in response to a public interest litigation filed by the Independent Media Society. Sundarkhal, in Ramnagar block, is a Scheduled Caste-dominated village that has long remained in administrative limbo. Most of its families rely on agriculture or daily-wage labour. Though residents have lived there for decades, the forest department classified the area as encroached land in 2003, after which the state stopped extending public services — citing legal constraints tied to forest conservation laws. Since then, residents have repeatedly petitioned the state for either relocation or essential services. In 2014, following protests and RTI campaigns, a committee was formed to look into the matter. While the panel submitted a resolution recommending relocation, the proposal stalled — no land was allotted and no budget allocated. The PIL, filed by the Dehradun-based advocacy group, cited human rights violations and chronic government inaction. It argued that the state’s failure to act amounted to systemic neglect of a marginalised community. “The residents have been forced to live without basic facilities for decades,” the petition said, urging the court to either order immediate relocation or instruct the state to provide basic infrastructure at the site. The court noted that no meaningful action had been taken despite the recommendation being over a decade old. It said the matter could not be delayed further and asked the state to clarify its stand in the next hearing. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.