In Gujarat’s Sabarkantha, Violence, Discrimination and Social Boycott are Pushing Dalit Families to Flee |
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New Delhi: An exodus may be imminent in some Gujarat villages, where members of the Dalit community have alleged they are increasingly facing harassment, intimidation and violence at the hands of upper-caste communities and OBC communities.
“It will happen, if not today, then very soon,” says Somabhai, a resident of Rupal village in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district, alleging that the upper-caste communities do not wish to see their community prosper.
On May 18, members of the Dalit community from villages in Sabarkantha district submitted a memorandum to the Resident Additional Collector at the district office in Himmatnagar demanding immediate intervention and protection from such atrocities.
In it, Dalit villagers from Rupal village have alleged that despite repeated requests and appeals to the local administration, they continue to face harassment at several levels. They feel that the administration has failed to provide justice and a sense of security to the community, which now finds itself facing an effective social boycott within the village.
Representatives of the community alleged that people are being mentally, physically and economically harassed, leaving them with no option but to consider leaving their native village. In the memorandum, the community clearly writes that if a lasting resolution is not reached within the next seven days, families from the Scheduled Caste community may be forced to migrate.
Dalit leaders submit a memorandum to Krishna A. Vaghela, Resident Additional Collector, at the district office in Himmatnagar seeking protection from atrocities. Photo: Dhiraj Leua
The allegations emerging from Rupal village are part of a wider and deeply entrenched pattern of caste violence and discrimination in Gujarat, a state often projected as a ‘model of economic........