It is not acceptable for Dalit grooms to ride horses in Rajasthan, know what is the reason?
A new case has come to light again from Jhalawar, Rajasthan, police does not take concrete action.
Published on: 17 Feb 2024, 4:58 pm
Jaipur. On one hand, there is talk of maintaining social equality and harmony in Rajasthan. On the other hand, it is not acceptable for Dalits to ride horses, even if the Dalit is a soldier protecting the country on the border. The evacuation of Dalit grooms under police protection is revealing of the gap between words and deeds of social equality in the state. The latest case has come to light from Jhalawar district. Where once again armed policemen were deployed to evacuate the Dalit groom by making him sit on a mare.
The marriage ceremony of a Dalit groom took place under police surveillance last Friday night in village Gurdiya Bharta of Bhawani Mandi police station area of Jhalawar district. During this time, apart from Bhawani Mandi and Mishroli police stations, additional police force with weapons was called from Jhalawar. In the presence of the police, Giriraj’s son Mangilal Meghwal was evacuated on a mare.
Why was there a need to call the police?
Everyone gets married. The groom also takes out the procession sitting on the mare. Then why did the Dalit family of Gurdiya Bharta have to call the police for their son’s wedding? On this, the groom’s father Mangilal Meghwal told that my nephew Kamlesh Verma got married two years ago on 9 February 2022. Kamlesh is working in the Indian Army. Despite this, anti-social elements had warned the groom not to sit on the mare. Even then we had asked for police protection for evacuation. Policemen were present during the evacuation. Despite this, anti-social elements pelted stones at the evacuation. Many of our people were injured in stone pelting. We had also filed a case with the police. The police had also arrested some people. Now the case is pending in the court. Therefore, police protection was sought at the son’s wedding. Mangilal is a farmer. His son works in a thread factory in Bhavani Mandi.
Mangilal further said, “The influential people here consider us to be of a small caste. These people call themselves Rajput community. They do not want the people of our community to ride horses in front of them. This has made us slaves even today. Want to keep the tax. This time the anti-social elements did not protest due to the deployment of armed policemen in the evacuation of his son.”
SHO was suspended two years ago
Villagers told that during the marriage of army soldier Kamlesh Meghwal, they had protested against the Dalit groom sitting on a mare by pelting stones. After this, due to tension in the village, the then Superintendent of Police and District Collector also reached the village. The then Bhawani Mandi police station officer Mahavir Singh Yadav was suspended considering the serious negligence of the local police in the investigation of the incident of stone pelting at the exit of a Dalit groom in the presence of police.
Do not accept to climb the mare!
Mohanlal Meghwal, former sarpanch of Gurdiya Mana Gram Panchayat, told The Mooknayak that we belong to the Dalit class. If we live a happy life then people of higher caste have objection. The extent of their hatred is such that Dalits do not even like army soldiers. Police should take strict action against such people. Only then will social discrimination end. He told that the accused in the case of stone pelting on a Dalit groom two years ago are pressurizing him for a compromise agreement.
Caste discrimination occurs in more than 90 percent villages in Dag area.
Krishna Mehra, associated with Bhim Army, said that this is Dag assembly constituency of Jhalawar district. Incidents of discrimination and atrocities against Dalits occur in more than 90 percent of the villages of this area. Be it a wedding ceremony or the birth anniversary of a great man, Dalits have to take police protection before such events. Here influential people always try to disrupt the programs of Dalits. The politicians of our society also maintain distance from the society. We want that the laws already made to stop discrimination against Dalits should be strictly enforced.
Mehra says that this area is dominated by Sondhia Rajput caste. Due to the large number of this community in some parts of Madhya Pradesh including Jhalawar, Kota, Baran, this area is also called Sondhwad. They come under OBC. Mehra said that the Dalit community has already been associated with labor and farming. There was also illiteracy. Now the people of the society have started reading and writing. Have started living a good life. This is the only thing that the bigots have objection to.
Unable to get out of casteist mentality
Advocate Shailesh Gautam, Alwar District Coordinator of Dalit Adhikar Kendra, Rajasthan, says, “There has been caste discrimination in Rajasthan for centuries. The main reason for this is that these people have been in power earlier. Even today, these same people are in power. Power and Administration They have influence in India. These people talk about equality, but are unable to get out of the casteist mentality. Do they understand that how can people who used to enslave us for centuries now sit on a horse?”
Gautam further said, “We are making every possible effort for social equality. We hold meetings with the leaders of the communities which discriminate against Dalits. We convince them to end discrimination by citing their legal rights. Leaders should come forward for this. In many places discrimination is directly visible, but in many places it is not visible, but happens indirectly. Leaders of such societies should come forward and try for equality.”
Statement from Rajput Sabha
The Mooknayak told Rajput Sabha Jaipur Metropolitan President Ganpat Singh Rathore. Rathod said, “People of Rajput community never commit atrocities on anyone. Yes, some anti-social elements who call themselves Rajputs can do such acts. Kshatriya protects. Not atrocities”. He further said that “Education is necessary to end the situation of discrimination in the village. The main reason for social inequality is illiteracy. It should also be considered which community people are more involved in the dispute while the Dalit groom is sitting on the mare. “
