Dalits block highway, demand arrest of Sarpanch's killers

Ambala, Oct 9 (UNI) Agitated Dalits including women from nearby village Dhulkot today blocked the National Highway Number One here, placing the dead body of Sarpanch Deep Chand on the road blockading the vehicular traffic on Amritsar-Delhi and Chandigarh-Delhi roads.

Demanding the immediate arrest of the alleged killers of the Dalit Sarpanch of Dhulkot village, the irate villagers blocked the highway after the body of the Sarpanch was handed over to the bereaved family by the authorities of the PGI hospital in Chandigarh.

They alleged that Deep Chand was killed by some influential persons of the village who had encroached upon government land and the Sarpanch was not allowing them to grab the land.

The agitators, after receiving Deep Chand's body from the PGI hospital of Chandigarh, put it across the national highway at Jail Bridge, blocking inter-state traffic.

Led by Bahujan samaj Party (BSP) leader Zile Singh, they raised slogans against the police for its ''partisan role'' in nabbing the suspects.

The agitators, predominantly women, have been surrounding the dead body of Deep Chand placed on the bridge with ice slabs around it and raising slogans against the administration.

''Deep has been rewarded with death for his honesty with which he was fighting against the unscrupulous people in the wider interest of development of the village,'' his wife said.

The appeals made by the SDM M K Ahuja and DSPs to remove the dead body had no effect on the agitators, who insisted that they would not do that till the persons named in their complaint were arrested.

The police including women cops are present on the site. The agitators insist that the DC and SP should reach the spot to assure the arrests of culprits.

Traffic has been diverted via Jandli bridge. The vehicles coming from Chandigarh side were diverted via Handesra road to reach Ambala Cantonment.

UNI XC PS MQA KN2025