A group of upper caste men set a Dalit family of four on fire after pouring kerosene on them in Faridabad's Su... Read More

CHANDIGARH: ​ A group of upper caste Rajput men allegedly poured petrol on and set on fire a Dalit family of four, killing two children and leaving their parents with serious burns in Sumped village in Faridabad on Tuesday morning.

The children , two-and-a-half-year-old Vaibhav and nine-month-old succumbed to burns, while their parents Jitender and Rekha are fighting for their lives at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi.

The incident has deepened fears for the safety of Dalits in Haryana .

Sources said that early Tuesday morning, a group of men, allegedly acquainted to the Thakur families of the village, entered the Dalit family’s home, doused the victims with petrol and set them on fire. Preliminary police inquiries indicate that a piece of property was the cause of rancour between Jitender and the Rajput men.

Police have been deployed in the village in large number to maintain law and order.

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for each of the dead children.

