Dalit kids' murder: Police arrest three more accused, four absconding

Faridabad: Three more people have been arrested for their alleged role in setting the house of a Dalit family ablaze in Sunpedh village in Faridabad in which two innocent children perished and their parents suffered severe burns. As of now, seven people have been arrested, four are still at large. [caption id=“attachment_2478960” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] The three accused were held on Wednesday night. Police said the situation in the village was peaceful now. Earlier in the day, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar visited the family of the two Dalit kids, who were charred to death on the night of 19/20 October. Vaibhav, 3, and Divya aged 9 months died in what is alleged to be a revenge killing over a long standing dispute between upper caste Rajputs and Dalits in the village. The Haryana government had on Wednesday recommended a CBI probe into the case. While the children perished in the blaze allegedly set off by some upper caste men who had a running feud with the Dalit family, their mother Rekha, 28, suffered serious burn injuries and was admitted to a Delhi hospital. The father of the two children, Jitender, 31, suffered severe burns on his hands. Rekha, the mother is still recovering in Safdarjang Hospital. She has severe burns on her face, neck and arms. She regained consciousness on Wednesday when she was informed that both her children were no more. Eight police officials including Inspector Anil Kumar, Officer-In-charge of Sadar Ballagbarh Police Station have been suspended. Meanwhile, a team of forensic experts visited the house of the victims. They conducted a thorough search of the room and collected evidence. The room was locked by the police since the incident and Jitender, the father of the slain kids, spends his time in the verandah where he rests on a makeshift bed. Police teams also questioned Jitender’s neighbour today. In the evening, a police team led by an official of ACP rank was gheraoed by locals who accused policemen of conniving with upper caste men and tampering with evidence - a charge refuted by the security personnel. Around 500 policemen have been deployed to maintain law and order. Following the incident, the victim’s family has pointed to 11 people allegedly behind the crime -  Balwant, Dharam Singh, Deshraj, Jagat, Edal, Naunihal, Joginder, Akash and Sanjay, Aman and Sooraj. PTI