Dalit family denied food, seating at temple feast in Madhya Pradesh, case lodged
In their complaint, the Dalit family said they were denied a place to sit at the communal feast, and also had ‘prasad’ tossed at them after the accused refused to hand them the food directly.
India Today News Desk New Delhi, UPDATED: Jul 7, 2023 08:47 IST
A Dalit family belonging to a small village in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district was deprived of partaking in the communal feast organised at a local temple. They have also accused two people, belonging to an “upper caste” community, of refusing to directly hand them prasad (blessed food) and throwing it at them.
The incident took place at the Ram Janaki Temple in Semra village on Tuesday, July 4. The communal feast (bhandara) was arranged by collecting donations and grains from the entire village. Members of the Dalit community had also contributed.
With the hope of receiving prasad, several Dalit families also arrived at the temple. However, Babloo Kushwaha and Ram Bhajan Yadav, residents of the village, allegedly threw the prasad at Dalit women and children and warned them not to sit with others during the feast.
When the Dalit community members objected to this discriminatory behaviour, Kushwaha and Yadav began using derogatory caste-based slurs, escalating the situation.
Following the incident, the Dalit community lodged a written complaint at the Amadara police station the very same day, demanding strict action.
On July 7, a case was registered against both the accused individuals under Indian Penal Code sections 294 (obscene acts or words), 506 (criminal intimidation), and relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, said Sub Divisional Police Officer Lokesh Davar.
The suspects are currently at large.
Recounting the ordeal, Shankhi Choudhary said, “They [accused] said that you are not entitled, you belong to a low caste, that’s why we will not feed you. They threw the prasad at us, my daughter fell down trying to collect it.”
Kanchan Choudhary, who was also present at the time of the incident, said, “They take food grains in the name of bhandara. When we go, they don’t directly give the prasad to us. When we asked them why, they said if you want to take prasad, then take it, otherwise go away from here. When we touched the prasad, he [accused] started abusing us. They have been doing this for 3-4 years.”
