NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists shaved a Scheduled Caste woman’s head blackened her face paraded her on a donkey and then lynched her in the full presence of mute villagers in Jaitsar village of northern Rajasthan. Her crime was an alleged theft committed by her son in. the village temple.

The shocking incident which took place on May 29 this year was brought to light in a Press conference in the Capital on Thursday by activists of the All India Women’s Association (AIDWA). Addressing the Press conference AIDWA leader Brinda Karat said Prakash Kaur was dragged to the village temple on May 29. Her head was shaved face blackened and she was paraded around the temple on a donkey with the BJP activists prodding sticks into her private Paris. ‘She was eventually beaten to death.

The gory incident continued for three hours in the afternoon before Kaur succumbed to her injuries at3 pm.

When the dying woman asked for water the killers poured hot water and kerosene into her mouth. Prakash Kaur died a painful death in the afternoon in the temple complex situated at walking distance from a police post MS’Karat said.

The police arrested all the family members of Prakash Kaur on May 29 on the pretext of her son’s crime She was away from home when the arrests took place. On her return she went to the police post and the temple to protest the arrest Karat told reporters

The BJP activists taught her and the entire Ramgariha Sikh community in the village a lesson for registering a Complaint against the illegal arrests AIDWA’‘s Rajasthan unit’s General Secretary Sumatra Chopra said.

Rajasthan Home Minister Kailash Mughal when approached by AIDWA refused to take any action in the matter saying this was not a murder but a reflection of mob anger because the woman wanted to put poison in the village’s water tank said Karat.

Going by the Minister’s callous approach and indirect defence of the savagery she said it was clear that the BJP Government in Rajasthan was out to protect its   Supporters even if they had committed the most heinous Crime on a woman.

Far from taking any action against the murderers who are roaming free in Jaitsar the police have put pressure on Prakash Kaur’s family members to give it in writing that were not arrested on the fateful day Karat disclosed Incidentally Prakash Kaur’s 10year-old daughter Rani is an eyewitness to the brutal Murder are the brutal Killing one Can it what they can do to A child.

Article extracted from this publication >> July 1, 1994