In Another Crime Against Dalits, Woman Teacher Dies Week After Being Set on Fire by Kin in Rajasthan

Days after the news of a young Dalit boy beaten to death for drinking from a water pot took Rajasthan by storm, a 35-year-old Dalit school teacher – who was set on fire by her relatives over a monetary dispute – died at the SMS Hospital here, police said on Wednesday.

Superintendent of Police (SP) of Jaipur Rural Manish Agrawal said the woman, identified as Anita, died Tuesday night. The private school teacher was set on fire in her village in the Raisar Police Station area – around 80 kms from state capital Jaipur – on August 10 when she asked her relatives to repay the money they had borrowed from her.

“The accused poured inflammable material on the woman and set her ablaze in her village on August 10,” Additional SP Dharmendra Yadav said.

Anita was first taken to the Government Hospital in Jamrao Ramgarh from where she was referred to Jaipur, but she died late seven days later. Her family alleged that the police did not help in time due to collusion with the accused, which led to the death.

However, police said that upon getting information of the incident, they immediately reached the spot and hospitalised Anita.

A case against her relatives, including a few women, was registered on the basis of the victim’s statement. No arrest has been made in the case so far.

Targeting the Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot over the incident, BJP state president Satish Poonia said the chief minister has completely failed to handle the law and order situation.

“This is not the first such incident under the Congress rule. Many such tragic incidents are happening in the state. An average of 18 rapes and seven murders are taking place daily in the state,”  he claimed.

“Criminals have no fear because they know that nothing will happen to them, cases will be registered under normal sections and strict action will not be taken against them,” he said.

The state government’s laxity, negligence and its insensitivity towards law and order lead to such cases, Poonia added.

Citing the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, “Rajasthan is setting new records in crimes against women, atrocities against Dalits, and religious vandalism. Today, Rajasthan is at number one in the cases of rape in the country, second in terms of trafficking of minor girls.”

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