Patna: NDA partner Jitan Ram Manjhi on Thursday hit out at the state government for atrocities on Dalits by police and administration at Nandan village in Buxar district in the aftermath of the attack on the chief minister's convoy on January 12.

Manjhi, the founder-president of HAMS, is going to seek time from Nitish to demand immediate action to provide relief to the victims belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC).

"We are an NDA partner, hence we will seek time to meet the chief minister tomorrow (Friday) and request him to take immediate action. The real culprits should be nabbed instead of torturing and harassing innocent Dalits. If this is not done we will protest with dharna, demonstrations and may call a meeting of Dalits from all over the state at Nandan village," Manjhi said.

Manjhi's party had sent an eight-member fact-finding team led by its SC cell president Rameshwar Rajak, which submitted its report to Manjhi on Thursday. Of the team members, seven hailed from the SC category while one was from the general category.

The report says the cops went to the Dalit hamlets in Nandan village after 10pm and misbehaved with residents.

"Women were dragged outside and then taken to the police station around midnight. This is illegal as the law prohibits the police from taking them to the police station in such cases at night. No women constables were present when this was done. Around 10 to 12 women are still missing," says the report.

The former chief minister, who was earlier with the JDU, also questioned the 'development-for-all' claim by Nitish and said the report from Nandan village reveals there was "no development in the Dailt tolas (hamlets)".

"Around 150 families of Dusadh, Mushar and Ravidas castes live on one side of the road and virtually no development work has happened in their hamlets. Families of other castes reside across the road and development work has happened there," Manjhi said.

Blaming the local JDU MLA, Dadan Yadav, and mukhiya Rajiv Pathak for discrimination in implementation of development schemes, Manjhi added: "The Dalits were excited by Nitish's visit and wanted him to show the ground reality. The mukhiya and the MLA tried to avoid this by pushing and threatening the Dalits, which led to stone-pelting. But the ire of the Dalits was directed not towards the CM, but towards the mukhiya and the MLA, who happens to be socially close to RJD chief Lalu Prasad."

Manjhi said the report reveals that all young men and women in the Dalit hamlets have either fled or been arrested, with only children, elderly and cattle remaining; and they are starving for several days.