Hisar, April 29
Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi today paid a surprise visit to Mirchpur village which saw violence against Dalits a few days ago.

He was accompanied by senior Congress leader Prithvi Raj Chauhan. They arrived in three cars, unannounced. The villagers were taken aback when Gandhi came out of his car and inquired from passersby about the way to Dalit houses.

He promptly marched to the Dalit colony and met the grieving family of Tara Chand.

Tara Chand and his disabled daughter were killed when their house was set ablaze. Rahul offered his condolences to the family. He also met other affected families.

The Dalits asked him to help them resettle in some other village. Rahul promised to take up the matter with AICC chief Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. He asked them to be patient.

He spent about 20 minutes in the village and left for Delhi before the authorities were alerted about his arrival there. A few junior officials were in the village distributing relief material to the affected families when Rahul landed there.

Meanwhile, many affected families have migrated to nearby villages as they continue to feel insecure. The Chief Minister who visited the village earlier this week had assured them of adequate protection.

However, the Dalits want to be rehabiliated outside the village.