Dalit children burned alive in arson attack

The Catholic Bishops of India have condemned a night-time arson attack on the home of a Dalit family, in which two infants were burned alive, writes Ellen Teague. The atrocity took place in Faridabad, 21 miles outside Delhi, on 21 October.

The bishops called on state and federal governments to provide adequate security for Dalits. The two-year-old boy and his nine-month-old sister died in their blazing house.

The children’s mother was critically injured. The father received minor injuries. Police have made seven arrests. Fr Z. Devasagayaraj, secretary of the bishops’ office for Dalits, said: “A mindset seeing these people as lower humans continues.”