In a press release on June 1, former Justice Pawan Kumar, who headed the investigation team to probe the atrocities inflicted against Hindus, especially Dalits, in Haryana’s Mewat had said that there is no difference between Pakistan and Mewat.
While addressing journalists in Gurugram, Justice Pawan Kumar remarked that Mewat of Haryana is becoming a graveyard of Dalits and there are many reports of women being abducted, raped and forcibly converted in the region.
OpIndia got in touch with Justice Pawan Kumar who had gone to Mewat himself to investigate the case and bring the reality of the atrocities committed against the Dalits to the fore. Justice Pawan Kumar said that while speaking to the Hindus, especially Dalits, in the villages, he was able to get back first-hand information on how badly they are oppressed in the hands of Muslims in these areas. Incidents of rape of Hindu and Dalit girls, the kidnapping of brides, forced conversion, assault on Dalits have become common in the villages in Mewat, said Kumar.
Justice Pawan Kumar claimed that he had called 48 victims of the Dalit society for questioning, but the horror and fear of Islamists among the victims is so palpable that only 19 out of the 48 victims of the Dalit society turned up to register their complaints against the brutalities meted out on them.
To apprise us of the extent of atrocities being inflicted on these poor Hindu and Dalit families in remote villages of Mewat, Haryana, Kumar briefed us with few shocking incidents which he was given an account of. These incidents had also found mention in the press release shared by VHP National spokesperson Vinod Bansal on June 1.
Molestation of women pervasive all over Mewat
He revealed that the molestation of girls and women has become pervasive all over Mewat which has caused problems for girls to continue their studies. “A 12-year girl was raped by 4 Muslims and the house where the rape took place was of one of the Muslim cops,” Kumar said. No action has been taken against the perpetrators.
Furthermore, Kumar also cited an instance from Freozpur Namak where 9 Muslims allegedly raped a woman for several days after forcibly abducting her. The press release stated that no action was taken against the complaint filed and the abductors killed the woman four days later.
Forced conversions prevalent in the region
Besides speaking on various instances where Hindu, especially Dalit girls and women have been exploited, Kumar also spoke to us about how forced conversions is prevalent in the area. While in conversation with OpIndia Justice Pawan Kumar spoke on how more than 200 cases of forced conversions have allegedly taken place in the region.
Speaking of various incidents of forced conversion, Kumar said that because of police inaction, the perpetrators have been emboldened and pressure is being mounted on the family members of those forcibly converted to get them converted as well.
The chairman of the committee, former justice Pawan Kumar spoke of an incident where a man named Ramjilal in Mewat’s Bichhor village was stabbed on the stomach and later burnt alive. He said when Ramjilal’s family approached the police, they did not take any action against the accused, instead, police closed the case saying that Ramjilal died after being struck by lightning. The family was so scared that they were forced to leave the village, said Kumar.
During the conversation with the former Justice, we learnt how the cremation grounds were also being encroached upon by the Muslims in the region. Also, the plots provided to them by the government are gradually being snatched away by Muslims. Moreover, Dalits are being abducted and assaulted by Muslims. Attacks on Dalits asking for the refund of the burrowed sum to the Muslims have become a common occurrence in these regions, said Kumar.
Muslims in Mewat carrying out these crimes in connivance with the administration and the local police
Former Justice Pawan Kumar specified in clear terms that the Muslims in the region were being able to carry out these crimes against Dalits in connivance with the administration and the local police. As a result of this, the horror and fear of Islamists among the victims has become so palpable, that Hindus have completely disappeared from at least 104 villages in the region. A meager number of only 4 to 5 Hindu families can still be found dwelling in 84 villages out of the total of 500 villages in the region. Mewat in Haryana has become a mini-Pakistan, revealed Kumar.
Chairman of the committee, former justice Pawan Kumar said that the report will be sent to the chief minister of Haryana, to the chairman of scheduled castes commission of India and the Home Minister of India so that justice is delivered and rule of law can once again be established in Mewat.
OpIndia tried to contact Mewat police
When OpIndia tried to contact Mewat police and confront them on the allegations meted out against the police, the Superintendent of Police (SP) Mewat cited a step-by-step process of action in these cases. He said, “Whenever a case of Dalit harassment comes to the police, a complaint is filed and action is taken in the matter as per the rules. He said the victim can first approach SHO, in case he is unavailable then he will be directed towards the DSP then the SP.
Before OpIndia could ask further questions to the SP the call got disconnected. Later, when we again tried to contact the SP we could not get through him.
We then spoke to the president of the Joint Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, Mahavir Bhardwaj who too said that the Dalits in Mewat are falling prey to the atrocities by Muslims, who dominate these villages. Fearing brutality, many Hindu families have fled but the Dalits are mostly poor and not capable of going and easily settling elsewhere, therefore they are the ones who are suffering in the hands of the Muslim population in villages of Mewat.
Speaking of the harrowing conditions under which Dalits are having to live in Mewat, Bhardwaj said that minorities in Pakistan must not be facing as many hardships these Dalits and Hindus are facing here in mini-Pakistan (Mewat).
Mob in Haryana’s Mewat attacks Mahant Ramdas of Muktidham Ashram
Recently, Mahant Ramdas of Muktidham Ashram in Haryana’s Mewat was attacked where a mob misbehaved, beat him up and also threatened to kill him. Speaking to OpIndia the Hindu organisations which have come out in support of the Mahant said that on April 29, 2020, that the culprits made derogatory remarks on religious lines against Mahant Ramdas Maharaj and then threatened to drive away the Sadhus in the area by force.
When Mahant Ramdas went to the police to file an FIR, the police refused. When OpIndia reached out to the police, Punhana Thana SHO directed us to talk to the headquarters regarding the case. He also claimed that no such incident has taken place. The Hindu organisations had then said that the police are trying to avoid filing an FIR and getting Mahant Ramdas and the accused to talk over it and sort it out.
Third attack on Hindus in a week
Speaking to OpIndia, the local people there had then said that this is a Muslim dominated area and this was the third attack on the Hindus in past one week. Police have also not taken any action against the culprits. A few days back, a mob of 200-300 people gathered and misbehaved with a Hindu resident over his social media post, they said.
