HYDERABAD: Ramon Magasaysay awardee Bezwada Wilson appealed to officers of Telangana State Prisons to strive to eradicate the caste system, which has been hindering India’s development. Wilson was addressing the gathering of prison officials at Chanchalguda central prison on Tuesday.
During his guest lecture, Wilson explained about the unfortunate state of people of some castes, who were forced to do unethical works. “Despite several laws and regulations made by the Supreme Court to put a halt to the manual scavenging system, it is being practiced in several places in India. This is because of the caste system in the country,” he said.
Recounting his experiences, Wilson said “Our family was into manual scavenging. I could not bear this and ran away from home around 30 years ago. Since then, I am striving to eradicate the caste system, that is stopping the nation’s growth.”
He also said that he does not have a single penny with him. People offer him food for free and he also travels in buses for free, as people recognized him for his the services he had rendered to society.
“I do not have a bank account till now, and I never carry at least one rupee. I do not have anything that is of my own. I appeal everyone in this country to strive towards a caste free society and work towards that goal, said Wilson. Director General (Prisons) VK Singh, IG Narasima, State Institution of Correctional Administration principal Murali Babu, Chanchalguda central prison superintendent Saidulu and other officers attended the guest lecture.