Woman dragged out and beaten to death with rods by sarpanch, aides

Gurgaon: A 55-year-old Dalit woman succumbed to injuries after she was dragged out of home and kicked and punched by the village sarpanch and his associates in Faridabad's Narhawali on Friday night.While police said the murder appeared to have stemmed from personal grudge, sources claimed the families of the sarpanch and the woman — who are next-door neighbours — had differed on their political allegiance.An FIR was registered against village head Anil Kumar, his elder brother Mukesh and 14 others following a complaint by the woman's son Vijay at Chhansa police station. According to Vijay, Anil allegedly abused one of his cousins and passed lewd remarks against women in his family while the boy was returning home after buying soft drink from a local grocery store.Vijay said the sarpanch owned a lot of farmland in the village and many in his family worked for him."Since we are neighbours, my cousin decided not to escalate the tension and returned home despite being abused. After he informed us, my uncle and I confronted Anil. We told them if the boy had wronged in any way, we would punish him, but he should not be abused. As this led to an argument, Anil's elder brother hit my uncle on the head from behind," Vijay added.As the sarpanch's family gathered outside their house, Babli — the Dalit woman — intervened. "They came out with iron rods, sticks and other weapons to attack us. My mother was only trying to pacify the situation. Since we are neighbours, she did not want any bad blood between us. But they grabbed her by the hair, dragged her onto the road and rained kicks and punches on her. One of them also attacked her with an iron rod. Other women in my family, who tried to protect her, were also attacked," Vijay alleged.While the others were given first aid, Babli was declared dead on arrival at Badshah Khan Hospital.Police said a team led by ASI Netrapal and head constable Deepak Raj reached the village after getting information and pacified the villagers. Following the complaint by Vijay, an FIR was registered against the 16 persons for murder, unlawful assembly and rioting.On Saturday, the investigation into the motive of the murder was handed to the crime branch. Officials said legal action would be initiated when the autopsy report is ready. "We have started questioning witnesses and examining CCTV footage from cameras installed in the vicinity. Statements from relatives of the woman are also being recorded," a police spokesperson said.No arrests were made till late on Monday evening. "We are waiting for the autopsy report. We will take action as and when the findings come," an official said.
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