Lilaben Makwana of Parnaala village and other people of Dalit community submitted a memorandum in Surendranagar Collectorate stating that the mining mafia not only looted natural resources by illegally mining soil but also deliberately tried to spread communal hatred by targeting the cemetery of Scheduled Castes.
Surendranagar – The mining mafia has committed an act that shames humanity in Parnaala village of Limbdi taluka of the district. In this village, illegal soil mining was done by targeting the cremation ground of Scheduled Caste community and human skeletons buried there were taken out and thrown. This disgusting act not only hurt the religious and emotional sentiments of the community but also created an atmosphere of fear and communal tension in the area. The villagers have expressed deep anger over the inaction of the local administration and police in this matter and have demanded immediate action by submitting a written complaint to the Chief Minister, Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Surendranagar Collector and Superintendent of Police.
Lilaben Makwana of Parnaala village and other people from the Dalit community submitted a memorandum to the Surendranagar Collectorate, giving a detailed account of the incident. According to them, the mafia damaged the crematorium and ruthlessly threw out the skeletons buried there during illegal mining. This act has deeply hurt the sentiments of the relatives of the deceased. Not only this, these anti-social elements did not even respect the rights of the village sarpanch and closed the crematorium from all sides, making it impossible for the community to use it.
The local community informed the local police and administrative officials verbally and in writing several times in this matter, but no attention was paid to their complaints. The villagers say that the arbitrariness of the mining mafia and the silence of the administration have forced them to convey their matter to the higher authorities. They have warned that if immediate action is not taken in this matter and any untoward incident happens, the district administration will be solely responsible for it.
They say that the mining mafia not only looted natural resources by illegally mining soil but also deliberately tried to spread communal hatred by targeting the cemetery of the Scheduled Castes. For this, they have demanded to register a case under the Indian Penal Code (BNS) and Scheduled Castes and Tribes Atrocities Prevention Act (Atrocity Act) and immediate arrest of the accused. Apart from this, there is also a demand to seize all the vehicles used in illegal mining and impose heavy fines.
The villagers have also demanded that police security be arranged in their localities, so that such incidents can be prevented in future. Along with this, the Gram Panchayat has been demanded to free the crematorium from the possession of domineering elements by taking action under the Land Grabbing Act. The community also requested that the criminal history of the mining mafia be checked and if they are found to be repeatedly involved in such crimes, they should be expelled from the district.
Apart from this, the Dalit community has given many concrete suggestions for the development and security of the crematorium. They have demanded that a paved road be built for access to the crematorium, security walls and gates be built all around, benches be installed for sitting, trees be planted and a room be built to keep equipment. Grants have been demanded from the Gram Panchayat, Taluka Panchayat and District Panchayat for these works. Also, the District Development Officer has been requested to approve the development works of the crematorium through special grants.
Given the seriousness of the matter, the community has demanded that a joint team of Deputy Collector, Mamlatdar and Deputy Superintendent of Police be formed to visit the spot and submit a factual report to the state government through the District Collector. Calling the incident a violation of human rights, the community has appealed to the administration for quick and transparent action.
Social worker Kirit Rathod of Navsarjan Trust visited Parnaala village and submitted a written memorandum to the Chief Minister, Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Surendranagar Collector, Superintendent of Police and other responsible officials in this matter. He termed the incident as a well-planned conspiracy against the Scheduled Caste community and demanded a thorough investigation from the administration and strict action against the culprits.
Courtesy: Geetha Sunil Pillai, Hindi News