When will caste atrocities end in Bhojpur?
When
he bought a piece of land for Rs. 10 lakh from a Rajput family at
Khalisha village in Bihar’s Bhojpur district last year, little did
Ramlal Ram, a Chamar by caste, realise that it was just the beginning of
his woes. In August, three months after the purchase, when he went sow
the land, the powerful Rajput members staked claim to it and asked him
to beat it, threatening to shoot him. Ramlal, however, mustered the
courage to tell them that he had paid for paid for the land and that he
had the papers. That reply infuriated them and they started raining
blows. One of them fired in the air. Ramlal had no choice but to flee.
“They said, ‘Chamar hoke hamare chati pe baithega?
[You will overpower us despite your being a Chamar?],” recalled Ramlal
as he went weak at the knees and broke down during a public hearing on
caste atrocities in Bhojpur. To his shock, the Rajputs also illegally
transferred the land entitlement in the name of one of their relatives.
The hearing was organised by the Patna-based Dalit Association for Social and Human Rights Awareness.
Land,
water, money, a desire to rise above destitution, entitlement to
government benefits: the list of reasons that can fuel caste hatred is
endless. Shivkumari Kunwar’s case shows how powerful castes use their
traditional dominance to either keep the poor from their entitlements or
appropriate them.
Though
her land was approved under the Indira Awas Yojana for constructing a
house, early last month a group arrived with sticks and batons, beat her
up and even pulled at her sari. “We won’t allow you Chamars to build a
house here,” they said, as they threatened to kill the middle-aged
woman. To top it all, they foisted false cases on her.
“My mother struggled as a wage labourer, earning just Rs. 30 to 60, and
educated me,” said a tearful Sameer, as he appealed for justice.
In the village of Balbatra, little did Lallan Ram imagine that a few
drops of water could fuel caste hatred and get him thrashed. A cobbler
who owned a small stall, he was washing his hands after lunch one day
when a few drops of water accidentally fell on someone standing at the
nearby pan stall. At this, the vendor shouted, ‘Maro saale Chamar ko [Beat up the Chamar]’, and a group clobbered Lallan Ram.
Lack of unity
Many
Dalits recounted their agony of routine atrocities and discrimination
in villages. Some like Sanjudevi’s husband, a tailor, were murdered for
asking their rightful wages. However, “there is no unity among the
Chamars, Dusadhs, dhobis,” rued Ramlal. “That’s why atrocities are being
committedon us.”
Each
of these is a caste name. Each of these is also used as an abuse while
perpetrating caste atrocities of all shades and hues.
Gauthama Prabhu Nagappan
Foundation of His Sacred Majesty (FHSM),
3 A, Ground Floor, Vijay Housing,
Malliga Nagar, Vel's College Road,
Zamin Pallavaram, Chennai - 600 117
Ph: +91-44-22660747
Email: fhsmindia@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment