Seoni Durga Puja Pandal: Dalits were prevented from entering the Durga Puja pandal in Seoni. This allegation is being leveled against village strongmen. The victims also filmed the incident. Police have filed a case against three individuals and begun investigating the matter.
In Vindhya, dominant individuals prevented Dalits from entering the Durga Puja pandal.
Seoni: In Sadak Seoni village, under the Chhapara police station in Seoni district, Madhya Pradesh, members of the Dalit community were prevented from entering the Durga Puja pandal by dominant individuals. The family had come for worship and darshan. Those attempting to visit were abused. Police have filed a case against three individuals in this matter.
Case filed against three individuals
In fact, this entire incident took place in Sadak Seoni village, under the Chhapara police station. Dalits had come to worship at the Durga Puja pandal. People who had come to visit were abused by the bullies sitting there. A video of this incident has surfaced, showing an elderly man standing with a stick and threatening them. Following the video, a case has been filed against three people.
Prevented from Worship
According to Chhapara police, Shyamlal Ahirwar stated in his complaint that on Wednesday, he had gone to the public Durga pandal at Durga Chowk with his wife and son to worship. The bullies stopped him from performing the puja, saying, “You cannot perform puja there.”
Family works as laborers
According to the victim, he earns his living by working as a laborer. While returning from the fields, the accused, Mehrban Singh Thakur, stopped him on the way and said, “I have received numerous complaints against you.” He then objected to his entry into the pandal and threatened to kill him if he spoke too loudly. Shortly after, when he went alone to the pandal to donate, Naresh Thakur and Narayan Yadav insulted him with casteist slurs and refused to accept the donation. After this, when my nephew arrived at the pandal to donate, he was also taken down from the stage. The victim also filmed the incident on his mobile phone.
SP Sunil Mehta informed that a case has been registered and arrests will be made soon. Currently, the viral video on social media highlights the caste-based discrimination still evident in society.
Edited by: Muneshwar Kumar • Reported by: Jitendra Bhardwaj
About the Author
Muneshwar Kumar is the Principal Correspondent at Navbharat Times Online. He has 14 years of experience in journalism. He has a special interest in Madhya Pradesh politics, crime, current affairs, and off-beat news. He also has experience in ground reporting for several elections. He has been with Navbharat Times Online since 2020.
Courtesy: Hindi News