Gurugram: Protests are spreading across Haryana in the wake of a Dalit teenager’s suspicious death in Hisar, with angry family members ignoring the police’s 12-hour deadline to conduct the last rites.
The Hisar episode from the night of 7 July has drawn sharp criticism from Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who condemned the Nayab Saini-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
In a lengthy post Thursday on X, Rahul described the incident as a “murder of the Constitution” and accused the Modi government of turning the police into “tools of oppression” against the marginalised communities. The harassment meted out to the family for seeking justice is not just a crime but exposes the “ugly face of BJP-RSS’s Manuwadi system” that discriminates against the Dalits, he added.
While an First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against 10 people, including the Dalit teenager, an Special Investigation Team (SIT) has already started probing the case.
The family of Ganesh Valmiki and Hisar police have different versions of the events that unfolded at Hisar’s 12 Quarter area. They, the police said, were called to stop the loud music being played late at night in a birthday party, leading to a confrontation with Ganesh and his friends.
According to the police, the situation escalated when the group attacked officers with stones and sharp weapons, injuring a sub-inspector and another officer. Ganesh and Akash jumped from a rooftop while fleeing, resulting in Ganesh’s death and injuries to Akash, they added.
A post-mortem, conducted by a medical board, supports the police’s version that Ganesh’s death was due to the fall.
However, Ganesh’s family and Dalit outfits accused the police of pushing him off the roof. The police fabricated the story of a fall to cover up their brutality, they alleged.
They have refused to claim the body, staging a dharna outside the civil hospital for over nine days, demanding justice and the suspension of the “guilty” officers. The family further alleged that when they sought accountability from the police, they faced harassment and brutality, including attacks on women.
At a mahapanchayat held Wednesday, the Dalit community formed a 21-member committee that set a three-day ultimatum to the police to carry out action against those responsible for Ganesh’s death. They warned that if the police forcibly cremate the body, the family will launch a nationwide agitation, including a permanent dharna at the office of the Hisar deputy commissioner.
The unrest has spilled beyond Hisar, with demonstrations in Bhiwani, Karnal, and Jhajjar. In Bhiwani, a memorandum was submitted to the chief minister demanding action. The Youth Congress workers protested alongside the teenager’s body in Karnal, while the Valmiki community in Jhajjar staged a sit-in, amplifying the call for justice.
Tensions remain high as the police prepare to forcibly cremate the body. The incident has reignited debates on police accountability and the treatment of marginalized communities in Haryana, with the opposition vowing to escalate the fight for justice.
In a press conference Thursday, Hisar Range Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) K.K.Rao released two CCTV footage showing the youths setting up a cot in the middle of the street, playing loud music, and arguing with officers who attempted to intervene.
Rao said the youths tried to snatch a policeman’s mobile and attacked the team, forcing officers to seek refuge in a house. The police were only there to stop the disturbance and were willing to undergo a lie detector test to prove innocence, he asserted.
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Oppn cranks up pressure
Punjab’s former chief minister and Congress’ Dalit leader Charanjit Singh Channi visited the dharna site at Hisar’s civil hospital on Thursday and condemned the police action. Former minister and Dalit leader Raj Kumar Verka told the people that Rahul sent Channi to Hisar, and added that he would submit a report to the LoP to ensure justice to Ganesh.
Joined the protesting family of Ganesh Valmiki in Hisar, Haryana. A young Dalit boy was brutally dragged and beaten to death by the police; several others were seriously injured. Instead of delivering justice, the BJP government has filed an FIR against his grieving family. For… https://t.co/8HVlCT5o4g pic.twitter.com/gXA9haa9xp
— Charanjit Singh Channi (@CHARANJITCHANNI) July 17, 2025
In his speech, Channi said that the incident reminded him of the old ‘Manuwadi Soch’ against the Dalits. “Earlier, they didn’t allow us to visit temples or take water from the village well. Today, they can’t tolerate a Dalit celebrating his birthday by playing a DJ,” he said.
Channi also took to X in which he alleged that a Dalit boy was brutally dragged and beaten to death by the police. “Instead of delivering justice, the BJP government has filed an FIR against his grieving family. For 11 days, they have been waiting to cremate his body. The anti-Dalit Haryana government remains silent and is protecting the culprits,” he added.
Before Channi’s visit, Congress MP Kumari Selja visited the dharna site on Wednesday, expressing solidarity with the grieving family. “This is not just one family’s fight but a question of the dignity and justice for the entire society. When the police and administration, under BJP’s patronage, become perpetrators, it is an assault on the Constitution and social justice. Congress will fight for Ganesh Valmiki’s justice from the streets to Parliament under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership,” the Dalit leader from Haryana said on X, condemning the police’s alleged brutality.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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