People flee Gohana, near Sonepat, on Tuesday following the murder of the Dalit leader. (PTI)

Chandigarh, Aug. 28: The murder of a Dalit leader, allegedly by Jats, brought the town of Gohana in Haryana to the boil today.

Last night, three men fired six shots at Rakesh alias Lara, killing him near a school in this town, about 150km from Chandigarh.

The trio then fired in the air to scare people away before fleeing.

Rakesh was one of the key accused in the August 2005 murder of Baljeet Siwach, a Jat. Following Baljeet’s murder, fellow Jats had torched over 100 houses belonging to Dalits.

Rakesh, though, was acquitted later.

The Dalits in Gohana had been demanding police protection for him after reports that some in the Jat community wanted revenge.

Last night, the Dalits set a police post in the town ablaze after Rakesh’s murder, blocked the Sonepat-Jind highway and damaged vehicles.

When the police brought his body to the town after an autopsy this morning, both sides attacked them with stones. The police had to resort to lathicharge at four places. Twenty people, including six policemen, were injured.

Rohtak inspector-general of police Sharat Kumar said adequate forces had been sent to Gohana and the situation was under control. “We have detained several persons. Section 144 was clamped in the town immediately after the murder,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayavati, a Dalit leader, might visit Gohana tomorrow.

“Lara’s killers will be nabbed soon and teams have been formed to trace them,” said additional director-general of police, law and order, V.B. Singh.

Officials are trying to get the Dalits to agree to perform Rakesh’s last rites. “Till the time the last rites are not performed and the killers arrested, the situation in the town will remain tense. We are speaking to the Dalit community members,” a senior district official said.

Haryana Congress president Phool Chand Mullana cautioned people from playing into the hands of self-styled leaders. “They are using dead bodies to play politics. The people should be aware that a deep political conspiracy is being hatched to destabilise communal harmony,” he said.

Till 1947, Gohana had a Dalit majority. After Partition, a few thousand refugees, mostly Jats, settled there. By 2001, the town of 40,000 had a Jat majority. Gohana’s Dalits are mostly educated and rich, which the Jats are said to dislike.