India | Updated Nov 13, 2007 at 06:21pm IST

Dalit man set ablaze for shooing away cattle

Sachin Sharma, CNN-IBN

Dhar (Madhya Pradesh): Kailash's house wears a deserted look. In another incident caste violence, Kailash — a Dalit — was brutally attacked because he dared to beat away a few animals of a higher caste man that had strayed into his house.

However, the nightmare didn't stop there. Kailash was burnt alive in front of the entire village. His terrified family desperately ran for cover.

His wife, Kalawati Bagar says, "I ran away at night with my family so we could save our lives."

Kailash's son Shankar still can't forget that fateful day close on the heels of Diwali.

On Saturday, animals of a higher caste neighbour accidentally slipped into their house and Kailash's only fault was trying to get rid of the animals by shooing them with a stick.

This created such a furore that he was marauded by about 50 armed people from the village.

His son Shankar says, "Men came wielding swords the next day. My father tried to run away but they cornered him and slashed away at him with the swords. They t hen burnt him to death."

Later, the villlagers tried to conceal the evidence by burying Kailash's remains, but on Monday morning, the police finally reached Kharoda village and seized the evidence.

"An FIR has been lodged against 16 men. We are looking for them but they are not to be found in their homes," says Superintendent of Police, R S Savita

However, no arrests have been made as yet and though the police have combed the area, the killers are still at large.

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