Trouble Mounts For Chief Minister Gehlot As Congress MLA Resigns Citing Tragic Death Of Nine-Year-Old Dalit Boy

Congress MLA from Rajasthan, Pana Chand Meghwal, has sent his resignation to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot citing increase in cases of atrocities on Dalits in the state.

The move came after a nine-year-old Dalit boy succumbed to his injuries after being beaten mercilessly by his school teacher, Chail Singh. His crime was that he touched a drinking water pot. Meghwal said he is pained by the atrocities meted out to his community.

"When we fail to protect the rights of our community...we have no right to remain in the post. After listening to my inner voice, I resign from the post of the MLA, so that I can serve the community without any position," the MLA from Baran-Atru constituency said in his resignation letter.

Rajasthan Chief Minister played down the incident saying that such incidents happen in every state.

In the last few years, cases of atrocities against Dalits have steadily risen in Rajasthan. As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report published in 2020, Rajasthan had the highest rate of crimes against Dalits at 55.6 per cent in 2019, which was a 50 per cent increase in crime compared to 2018.

Meghwal, in his letter, wrote "Dalits are being killed for drinking water from a pot, sporting a moustache or riding a mare during a wedding. The judicial process is stalled and case files are passed from one table to the other. Cases of atrocities against Dalits are on the rise in the last few years. It seems there is no one to protect the rights of Dalits given by the Constitution".

"In most of the cases lodged by Dalits, the police submit the final report. Many a time, I have raised such cases in the state assembly but no action was taken by the police," Meghwal said.

Meghwal's resignation has put the spotlight on Chief Minister Gehlot and the Congress party. In a bid to do damage control, Congress leader Sachin Pilot and Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra would meet the deceased's family at Jalore today (16 August).

Indra Kumar, nine, was beaten up in school on 20 July. He died during treatment at a hospital in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on Saturday.

(With inputs from PTI)