Dalits allege denial of water by upper castes

Dalits of a Jharkhand village allege that they have been denied water from handpumps and entry into a community hall by upper castes in Chatra district.

People from Dalit community in Aamdiha village of Chatra district, which is around 160 km from Ranchi, allege they have not been allowed to fetch water from handpumps or entry into a community building of the village.

What is curious is that the handpumps and the community hall belong to the state government.

“We are not allowed by upper caste men to fetch water from the handpumps. The community building has also been locked and we are not allowed to enter in the building,” said Champu Ram to a local news channel.

Echoing his view, another villager, Suresh Ram said: “For a long time we have been discriminated against by the upper caste men. We have submitted a memorandum to the district officials requesting suitable measures so that we can fetch water and enter the community building.”

The Chatra district officials have assured they will look into the matter.

“We will look into the issue and suitable action will be taken based on the facts,” an official told IANS over telephone.