Dalits resist 'water discrimination', face boycott

Ahmedabad: The dalit community in Bechar village of Bechraji taluka of Mehsana district is facing a boycott by upper caste villagers, just because the dalits raised the issue of not being allowed to touch the village well to draw drinking water.
The issue of dalits not being allowed to draw water from the village well was first reported by ToI, following which a district administration and police team visited Bechar on April 14 and witnessed this discrimination.
The team, under police protection, enabled the dalits to draw water from the well that day. However, their problem worsened the very next day, as members of the dalit community were attacked by members of the dominant caste community.
If this was not enough, the upper caste communities including Bharwad, Patel and Thakor called for the boycott of dalits, because they raised the issue of discrimination in access to the village well. According to one villager, Chiman Vaghela, the supply of essential commodities like vegetables, milk and flour to them was stopped.
"We are not only denied supply of essential commodities, but now they do not even give us water. Earlier, they would draw the water for us, but this has stopped now. We have to go to Bechraji town to buy water," said Vaghela, who belongs to the dalit community.
"We can hardly make ends meet. How can daily wagers like us cope in a situation like this," Vaghela added.
S C Rathwa, deputy superintendent of police (DySP) with the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (SC, ST) cell, confirmed that the dalit were facing a social boycotted and the inquiry regarding this has been given to Bechraji taluka police.
"The situation in the village is sensitive and we have deployed sufficient police to avoid any eventuality," he said.
Kanu Bharwad, sarpanch of the village, said he was not unaware of such a situation. "As I was not in the village on Wednesday, I am not aware of any such boycott. I will ask the villagers if they are indeed part of any such anti-social activity," he said.