LUCKNOW: Three village heads (gram pradhans) along with three administrative officers were booked under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for denying water to a Dalit woman officer at Manjhanpur police station area of Kaushambi district, around 170 km from state capital Lucknow, on Thursday.
As per the sources, a dalit government lady veterinarian in Kaushambi district had charged three gram pradhans and three others, including a village development officer, block development committee officer and a 'kotedar' (fair price shop owner) with refusing her fresh potable water in the village where she had gone for inspection.
Acting on her written complaint, Kaushambi Police lodged an FIR and ordered a probe into the matter on the directives of Kaushambi district magistrate. According to SP, Kaushambi, Pradeep Gupta, the FIR was lodged against all six, including Ambawa Poorab village head Shiv Sampat, Bhaila Makdoompur village head's husband Pankaj Yadav, Saibasa village head Ansar Ali, district panchyat member Jhallar Tiwari, District Panchayati Raj Officer (DPRO) Ravidutt Mishra, and Rajesh Singh at Manjhanpur police station. All the six accused were booked under Section 504 of IPC and Section 3 (1)(R)(S) of The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Dr Seema, posted as deputy chief veterinary officer at Manjhanpur area, had on Tuesday gone on an inspection tour of three villages, including Ambawa Poorab following the directives of DRDO to review development work. She claimed that she was not given water to drink for over two hours despite asking for it repeatedly. Dr Seema said she was a diabetic.
"I was supposed to tour three villages only after contacting DPRO Ravi Dutt Mishra and BDC (block development chief) Jhallar Tiwari. They behaved in the most absurd manner when I asked for water. They directed the attendants not to give water to me and I had to sustain without water for over two hours," said Dr Seema. She added that she was a diabetic and her limbs started trembling so she had to rush out from there.
Dr Seema claimed they (accused) told her that if she would be given bottled water, the bottle would be spoiled and had to be thrown. On asking the villagers for water, the Ambawa Poorab village head Shiv Sampat and DRDO Mishra stopped them, alleged the woman officer.
The opposition parties attacked the government over the "rising incidents of Dalit atrocities" in the BJP-ruled states. While the Congress demanded that a high-level probe be ordered into the incident, the SP accused the BJP of "not believing in the Constitution".