Two days after the death of nine-year-old Dalit boy Inder Meghwal in Rajasthan’s Jalore district, a Dalit MLA of the ruling Congress on Monday sent in his resignation to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, saying he had “no moral right” to stay in the government after the incident. Inder had succumbed after 24 days of medical treatment to injuries caused by an alleged assault by a teacher in his school.
Baran-Atru MLA Pana Chand Meghwal said he had resigned at the call of his conscience because he was unable to protect the rights and get justice to his community. “It hurts me to see the way the Dalits are persecuted even 75 years after Independence. They are killed for drinking water from a pot, riding a mare in wedding and keeping moustache,” he said.
Mr. Meghwal, who is also the Baran District Congress Committee president, said the judicial process was often stalled in the cases of atrocities against Dalits and the police submitted final report without full investigation. “I have raised such matters in the State Assembly several times in the past, but no action was taken by the police,” Mr. Meghwal said.
