The family members of Dalit students of Bande Mataram Vidyapitha in Andara, who protested caste indiscrimination by teachers against their children during celebration of Ganesh Puja in September last, are now paying a price for the act as the fellow upper caste villagers have boycotted them socially.
They were denied sharecropping work that they had been doing for decades. Even, they were denied to sell vegetables in the locality, whereas barbers were asked not to provide service to the Dalits. As a result, it has become a difficult time for the Dalits in Andara to live amid the boycott.
According to one Rabindra Mallick (62) of Andara, he used to work as a daily wager in the field of upper caste villagers and collect his bread. Now he is a worried man following the upper caste people strictly restricted him to work in their fields.
Similar is the fate of Nirakar Mallick. He is a tenant .He raised crops in 3.5 acres of land of a few upper caste fellow villagers, but now the upper caste land owners have denied him to cultivate their farm land.
“What would I do, now that my land owners have refused to allow me to raise crops in their landIJ” lamented Mallick.
The main reason behind the boycott was the school teachers’ humiliation which they had to undergo after the Dalits attracted the attention of the authorities against the harassment meted out to their wards in school. The accused teachers had to beg apology in the presence of senior officials of the district administration and police personnel at a meeting for passing casteist remarks.
The upper caste people decided to ostracise the Dalits to avenge on the matter.
“Very shortly we along with other senior officials would visit the village and settle the matter amicably with co-operation of all,” said Pattamundai Tehsildar Banamali Tarei.
It may be noted here last month, the Dalits also knocked the doors of the State Human Rights Commission against the social boycott from the upper caste people and urged to intervene in the matter.
The NHRC asked for an Action Taken Report (ATR) from the Director of School and Mass Education Department and district Collector of Kendrapada over the issue.