Skip to main content

Dalits face social boycott in North Gujarat village, attacked following dispute on irrigation water

Villagers facing social boycott at the Patel district
collector's office
By Our Representative
In a fresh incident of social boycott in North Gujarat, the dominant castemen of Ganjisar village of Santalpur taluka, Patan district, have passed an unusual resolution imposing heavy fines on those who maintain any type of social relations with the fellow Dalit villagers. The social boycott was imposed, suggests a representation handed over to different level of district and state officials, following a dispute on irrigation water between the Dalit and Choudhury Patel farmers.
According to sources in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), there have been so far as many as 77 cases of social boycott of Dalits in as many villages. Even NHRC chairman KG Balakrishnan has is learnt to have taken strong exception to the high rate of social boycott of Dalits during his past meetings with officials of the Gujarat government. A copy of the representation has been forwarded to the NHRC also.
The dominant caste resolution, which was passed following a meeting of members of elders of the dominant castes of the village, said that anyone who is found talking with a Dalit would be fined Rs 2,000; anyone who is found to be providing transport facility to a Dalit would be fined Rs 10,000; any shopkeeper found providing flour grinding facility to a Dalit would be fined Rs 10,000; any shopkeeper found to be selling any item to a Dalit would be fined Rs 10,000; and any barber who allows hairdressing to a Dalit would be fined Rs 10,000.
It all began on March 22, when Dalit farmers objected to Choudhary Patel farmers seeking to “violate” an agreement between the two sections. The Dalits own a borewell, from which they supply irrigation water to nearby farms. Under the agreement, those who get irrigation water from the borewell should, in turn, hand over one-third of the harvested crop to the Dalit farmers as payment. And, the crop should be brought to the place where the borewell is situated for distribution.
However, a few of the Choudhury Patels farmers, who produced a highly valued cash crop, jeera (cumin), refused to bring crop near the borewell. And when the Dalit farmers objected pointing out that this was a violation of the agreement, the dominant castemen quarreled with them, said Dalit rights NGO Navsarjan Trust’s senior activist Kirit Rathod, who works in North Gujarat as a social worker.
“Things reached such a point that the Choudhary Patels lethally attacked three of the Dalit farmers, who were badly injured. They had to be taken to Radhanpur civil hospital, where they are being treated”, Rathod added.
Things did not stop here. “The Choudhury Patels, who rule the roost in the village, and passed a resolution three days later imposing social boycott on the Dalits, which continues to this date”, Rathod said, adding, “Worse, instead of bringing the culprits to book, the local police is seeking a compromise in favour of the Choudhury Patels.”
The Dalits form a minuscule minority in the village – just about five families -- as against 50 Choudhary Patel households, 150 Thakore households, 50 Rabari households, 100 Prajapati households, 30 Brahmin households, 25 Raval households, 15 Nai households, and five Thakkar households.
In a 10-point demand put forward before the officialdom, the representation demands that immediate steps should be taken to arrest those who attacked the Dalit farmers and a case of attempt to murder (Section 307 of the criminal procedure code) should be instituted against them. 
Pleading for immediate police protection, the representation also asks the cops to register a case under the anti-atrocities law against those who provoked the social boycott. The representation also demands free transportation to boys and girls who go to study outside the village.

Comments

TRENDING

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Polygamy in India "down" in 45 yrs: Muslims' from 5.7 to 2.55%, Hindus' 5.8 to 1.77%, "common" in SCs, STs

By Rajiv Shah Amidst All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) justifying polygamy, saying it “meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women”, facts suggest the the practice is down from 5.7 per cent of Muslim families in 1961 to 2.55 per cent in 2006.

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk  As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

Modi govt 'wholly untrustworthy' on Covid data, censored criticism on pandemic: Lancet

By Rajiv Shah*   One of the world’s most prestigious health journals, brought out from England, has sharply criticised the Narendra Modi government for being “wholly untrustworthy on Covid-19 health data”, stating, the “official government figures place deaths at more than 530 000, while WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 are near 4·7 million.”

Undermining law, breastfeeding? Businesses 'using' celebrities to promote baby food

By Rajiv Shah*  A report prepared by the top child welfare NGO, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI), has identified as many as 15 offenders allegedly violating the Indian baby food law, the Infant Milk Substitutes Feeding Bottles, and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 1992, and Amendment Act 2003 (IMS Act), stating, compliance with the law “seems to be dwindling by the day.”

Delhi demolitions for G-20 summit: Whither sabka saath, sabka vikas?, asks NAPM

By Our Representative  Well-known civil rights network, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), even as expressing solidarity with “thousands of traumatized residents of Tughlakabad and some other bastis in New Delhi whose homes have been demolished and whose lives have been ravaged both prior to as well as in the lead-up to the G-20 Summit”, has said this is in utter disregard to “their minimum well-being and gross violation of their rights.”