Heads must hang in shame over the tragic death of a handicapped girl and her father in a village near Hisar. Words cannot adequately convey the outrage over the medieval act of vengeance carried out in the heart of Haryana where the two were torched alive for no fault of theirs. Dalit houses were set on fire on Wednesday by a mob of upper-caste men merely because a an upper-caste boy had got into an altercation with Dalits earlier in the week and was beaten up by them. The grossly disproportionate reaction was evidently inspired by caste considerations and wounded pride. While the armed mob went on the rampage and set the thatched tenements on fire, most people managed to escape but the roof caved in on polio stricken Suman who was trapped in the inferno and lost her life. Her father could perhaps have saved his own life but lost it while trying to save hers.
The shameful incident shows up the weaknesses of both the administration and civil society. The administration clearly had no clue about the simmering tension in the village or about the immediate provocation. The panchayat and the civil society too cannot be absolved of their responsibility. It is incredible that the majority of the villagers remained passive and allowed the mob to have its way. The absence of any restraining influence and lack of sane advice reflect poorly on village society and the 'dominant' community. Growing assertiveness of the dalits following their political and economic empowerment , and the corresponding loss of clout of the upper-castes, seem to be at the root of the conflict. Reports in the media suggest fairly old rivalry and sharp differences between the two communities, some as old as a decade. That is why the institutional failure to restore social harmony is a cause of serious concern and needs to be studied at greater depth.
Judging by past experience, the culprits are unlikely to get their comeuppance. In all acts of mob violence, it is certainly difficult to judge the specific role played by individuals and apportion responsibility. Most perpetrators take advantage of this lacuna to claim innocence and get off lightly. Justice, however, demands exemplary and swift punishment to the entire group because any delay or prevarication would continue to encourage unruly mobs to take the law into their own hands.
