Balrampur (UP), Jan 20 (PTI) A Dalit village head in this Uttar Pradesh district has alleged that she was harassed for providing firewood for the funeral of a Dalit woman.
She claimed that the head of another village retaliated against her and got the road in front of her home dug up with an excavator.
The superintendent of police has ordered a probe into the matter.
The alleged incident occurred in the Rajghat Kakra village.
Sunita Devi, the Dalit village head of Bafwa village, accused Rajghat Kakra village head Sunil Singh of digging the road in front of her house, claiming it to be ‘khalihaan (common land)’.
It is alleged that Singh got an excavator to dig the trench, blocking Devi’s family’s access.
The dispute arose after one Sohanlal, a Dalit man whose wife died on Saturday, sought firewood for the last rites.
Devi’s representative Mewalal arranged for dry branches from a tree near the pond in Bafawa village for the funeral.
When the branches were being cut on Sunday, Singh confronted the workers and allegedly used casteist slurs.
Mewalal claimed that despite explaining the purpose of the firewood and its availability in the gram sabha, Singh insisted that they stop the work and later took retaliatory action.
Singh allegedly declared the land in front of Devi’s home as ‘khalihaan’ and personally oversaw the digging of an eight-foot-deep trench.
Devi and her family members said they had filed a complaint with the City police station and on the chief minister’s grievance portal in this regard.
However, no action was taken, they claimed.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Namrata Srivastava on Monday said a complaint had been received and an investigation was underway.
“Strict action will be taken against the culprits,” she said.
Singh, on the other hand, defended his action and claimed that the land was common land and fenced appropriately.
He denied any personal vendetta against Devi. PTI COR ABN ABN SZM SZM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.