In yet another shocking incident, a Dalit teenager was allegedly killed by policemen in Gohana village, Haryana, on Wednesday, just a couple of days after two Dalit children were burnt alive by upper caste assailants in the same state.
The body of 15-year-old Govinda was found hanging near his house in Gohana's Govindpura area on Thursday, media reports said. The family claimed that he was charged with the theft of a pigeon and then brutally beaten up during police custody.
The relatives placed his body on the road to mark their protest, and are demanding action against the culprits and Rs 10 lakh compensation. Local residents blocked a road and the local railway track for more than three hours, disrupting the rail and road transport services in the area.
The Gohana police have lodged an FIR against two assistant sub-inspectors and charged them with murder, the reports said.
At a news conference later on Friday, Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar claimed that it was a case of suicide and that the police had not interrogated the boy.
No interrogation was going on. The family came to the police station with a complaint and went back home after the matter was resolved," Khattar said. "Suicide was committed in the night. Official report is yet to come," Khattar added.