BARGARH: Alleging ostracism by people of upper caste for over a month, at least 60 scheduled caste families of Gaurenmunda village in Bargarh’s Padampur block are sitting on dharna in front of Gaesilet police station since Friday.
The agitating families have submitted a memorandum to the SDPO, demanding an immediate resolution to the issue. Sources said the families were ostracised by people of upper caste in the village soon after a brawl broke out between one Laxmana Chhatira and Gadi Suna of Dalit Sahi locality when the latter’s daughter hit Chhatira’s son while riding a bicycle on June 6.
As the dispute intensified, Suna called for a village meeting the same evening in front of the house of one Kumpatia Sahu. Sources said Sahu, belonging to an upper caste family, has been engaged in a face-off with the scheduled caste families over closure of a road leading to Dahi Sahi in the village.
But Chhatira did not attend the meeting. Subsequently, another meeting was held in the village on June 9 which was attended by Chhatira along with other SC families. But several villagers left apprehending Sahu along with other upper caste families are conspiring to aggravate the issue. Meanwhile, the upper caste people present at the meeting started humiliating the other party using abusive language and threatened to drive all lower caste people from the village. Since the meeting, SC families alleged they are being ostracised and barred from using the bathing ghat, tube wells and other amenities in the village.
However, Gadi Suna and few other Dalit families who were on good terms with the upper caste people, were exempted from ostracism. President of Dalit Mahasangh, Narayana Bhesra said, the SC families reached out to the district administration several times but to no avail. This forced them to stage a protest, he said. Until reports last came in, the villagers were on dharna. However, Padampur SDPO PK Sahu said a meeting is underway now to resolve the issue.