Hair cutting of Dalits is prohibited in this village of UP, tent material is not available in marriage ceremony
Dalits of many villages in Pilibhit, UP are still facing severe caste discrimination. In these villages, no one drinks water from the hands of Dalits, nor gives them water in their utensils to drink. Upper caste people do not even give a chair to sit on. Scheduled caste people in the village are not even given the goods of tents etc. on rent for organizing family functions like marriage. Even the barbers at the hair-cutting salons in the village hesitate to shave the hair and beards of Dalits. He publicly boycotts them. A video related to this has also become increasingly viral on social media. The SDM has said to take action regarding this matter.
Learn about the case in detail?
Barha and Majhaliya villages fall in the Amaria region of Pilibhit, UP. Both the villages have a mixed population of above 1000. More than 40 Dalit families live in this village. The distance of both the villages from the district headquarter is 20 km. There are Dalit houses on one side of the village. Both come under different gram panchayats. The village heads of both are from the Muslim community.
Regarding this whole incident, Syed Azam of Bhim Army tweeted two days ago, “Pilibhit police should take action on the matter. Dalits are being forbidden to cut their hair, they are not being given tent material. If the police will not take action on this, then the Bhim Army will agitate on the road. After this tweet of his, the matter got heated.
Let’s listen to the villagers their pain
Anil Kumar lives in this village. Anil explains, “The village barber refuses to cut our hair and that of our children. He says that if you cut your hair, the people of our colony will stop our hookah and water. If they put too much pressure, they close the barbershop itself. Under compulsion, we go 5-7 km away from the village and get our children and children’s hair cut. This has been going on for many years. But now times have changed, our children ask us why we are being discriminated against like this. So it is very difficult to answer. There is a feeling of inferiority in front of one’s own children.
Ravi Kumar says, “In the marriage of the children of our society, the tent owners do not give utensils and utensils. The tent owners say that if you touch the utensils, the rest of the people will neither take our utensils nor the tents. That’s why you can’t give utensils to people. Under compulsion, we go to the urban area about 10 km away from the village and bring tent material and utensils. Only then can we get married.
“If utensils fall short, there is no one to help in the village, they manage by bringing utensils etc. from each other’s houses.” Surendra says, “The village is socially divided into two or three parts. There are people from Muslim, upper caste, OBC and Dalit communities here. Upper castes and OBCs get their work done by dividing. Muslim people don’t care much about anything. We become outcasts. Most of the shops in the village belong to upper caste or OBC category people. Barbers consider themselves big so they don’t cut our hair.
Whether it is Chhathi or Baraat, no one even gives a chair.
Anita lives in this village. Anita told, “Whether it is a Chhathi program or a wedding, there are no tented chairs and tables available for any function at home. They all refuse to give us goods by calling us untouchables. We bring chairs and tables from outside Amaria. We have to think more about the arrangements before organizing any event.”
The barber said – even our forefathers did not cut the hair of Dalits
A video of a barber shaving in this village has gone viral. The barber says, “Since the time of our Baba, this distance between the Dalit community has been going on, we do not even remember when our forefathers cut the hair of the people of the Dalit community. Even if we go ahead and try to take a new initiative, our society threatens to boycott us. Those whose caste is not known, their hair is cut, but those who know that they are Valmiki, their hair is not cut. That’s why we also return the people of Valmik Samaj. So that there is no dispute, they close the shop itself.
Teacher scolds children for not getting haircut
Due to untouchability spread in this village, the children also have to suffer a lot. A child from the village said, “The teacher scolds us in school. She tells us to cut our hair and come to school. We are not even allowed to enter the school because of not getting our hair cut. Under compulsion, father takes us 7 to 8 km away and gets our hair cut. After that we can go to school. When the hair is not cut, we do not even go to school for fear that the teacher will scold.
The matter came to the notice of the police
Zubair Malik, the head of Majhaliya village, feigning ignorance, says, “The matter was brought to my notice by the police. It is a matter between two or three societies, in such a situation not much can be done from my side. Yes, I am constantly trying to end this discrimination, it should not happen anywhere.
What did the responsible say?
Regarding this whole matter, SDM Amaria Saurabh said, “So far no written complaint has been received in this matter. It has come to know through social media and through you that the discrimination against the Dalit community will be stopped by getting the village head of both the villages informed. I will look into the matter myself.”
