MP: Enraged by a social media post, Manuwadis forced an OBC youth to wash their feet and drink the dirty water as ‘charanamrit’ (amrit), imposing a fine of ₹5100!
Purushottam was forced to say that he was washing the feet of Anuj Pandey and drinking ‘charanamrit’, apologizing for the mistake he had made by posting on social media, and would continue to worship Brahmins like this in the future.
Published on: October 12, 2025, 10:26 am
Damoh – In Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district, a controversy sparked by a meme posted on social media has sparked caste tensions. In Sataria village, a young man from the OBC community, Purushottam Kushwaha, was pressured by Manuwadis to wash the feet of another young man, Annu Pandey, and drink the same water. Purushottam was also fined ₹5,100 and forced to apologize to the entire Brahmin community. After the video of the incident went viral, the Damoh police swung into action immediately, taking immediate cognizance, and registering an FIR.
According to sources, the root of the controversy was a meme posted on social media by Purushottam Kushwaha which Annu Pandey considered derogatory against the Brahmin community.
According to reports, alcohol was strictly prohibited in the village, but Annu Pandey continued to sell alcohol. He was fined 2,100 rupees for this. Purushottam Kushwaha created a meme depicting a shoe around his neck. This gave the village Brahmins an opportunity to avenge Annu Pandey. Purushottam Kushwaha deleted the meme within 15 minutes, but he was subjected to considerable intimidation in the village.
Tensions escalated at the village level, and Purushottam was humiliated. A viral video shows how some caste-based individuals forced Purushottam to apologize, prostrate before a Shivalinga, and then drink the water that Annu had used to wash his feet. Purushottam was forced to say that he was washing Annu Pandey’s feet and drinking the water from the plate, apologizing for his mistake by posting on social media, and that he would continue to worship Brahmins in this manner in the future.
Upon receiving information about the incident, the local police took strict measures to maintain peace and order. Releasing its response on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the Patera police station said, “Taking cognizance of the incident that took place in village Sataria under the Patera police station, the police have registered an FIR. To maintain peace and order in this incident, the police are also taking preventive action against both the parties. The police are continuously patrolling the area. Senior officers and well-respected citizens have also been made ready to maintain peace and order by communicating in the area.”
The viral video has enraged the Bahujan community. RJD spokesperson Priyanka Bharti wrote in a post, “What is going on in this country? Why did Purushottam Kushwaha have to wash Anuj Pandey’s feet and drink it? Sometimes a shoe is thrown at the CJI, who comes from the Dalit community, and sometimes a Dalit, despite being an IPS officer, dies facing casteism. Sometimes a Yadav’s braid is cut and urine is sprinkled on it! Sometimes a Kushwaha is made to wash his feet and then drink it! There is humiliation and ignorance every day. Will they let us live with dignity or not? Will they take away our self-respect too? Purushottam Kushwaha had to wash the feet of the casteist Pandey and drink it, pay a fine of Rs 5100 and apologize to society because he shared a meme! When will we treat humans as humans?”
