A battery of political leaders arrived in Jalore district’s Surana village on Tuesday to meet the family of nine-year-old Dalit boy Inder Meghwal, who died on August 13 after an alleged assault by a teacher in his school. The leaders expressed condolences and affirmed that the atrocities against Dalits should be stopped forthwith.
Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra announced a financial assistance of ₹20 lakh to the family of the deceased on behalf of the party, in addition to the ex-gratia assistance given from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Mr. Dotasra assured the villagers that the guilty would be punished after a “fair and unbiased” investigation.
Senior Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, who met Inder’s father Deva Ram and other family members, said there should be “zero tolerance” for the crimes against Dalits and the State government should take steps to win the trust of Dalit communities. “A strong message should be sent that no crime against Dalits will go unpunished,” Mr. Pilot said.
