The man had flouted customs by having a band party to welcome the groom at his daughter's wedding and using the main road, both practices that are permitted to only the upper castes of the area.
In yet another case of caste discrimination, a Dalit villager's decision to hire a wedding music band to welcome guests during his daughter's wedding has led to retribution in the form of kerosene poured into a drinking water well.
The well, used by so-called 'low caste' people of the region was allegedly contaminated by the 'upper caste' members of the village. The event occurred in the Dalit area of Maada village in Madhya Pradesh.
On April 23, Chander Meghwal had celebrated his daughter's wedding, with the groom coming in with a full procession and a band of musicians, which the norm says is an indulgence permitted to only the upper castes of the area. He had further flouted traditions by using the main road, yet another taboo.
He had complained to Madhya Pradesh CM, Shivraj Singh Chouhan when his festivity plans had been opposed by the higher caste people. The CM had given permission for the wedding, and the celebrations had not faced any problems. Policemen, armed with rifles and batons had been stationed to keep the peace. As reported by NDTV, post their departure however, retribution soon followed. The father of the bride too had feared the same, having been warned that defiance would result in his family being barred entry to the local well and temple.
In the aftermath of the contamination, the Dalits who use the well were forced to call in the authorities as their well yielded kerosene. The well had to be pumped out. Being the only water source for a large number of the people, Dalit women have been forced to get water from a different location.
District collector DV Singh and police superintendent RS Meena have come to sample the water, reassure the villagers and also to talk to the upper castes. To ensure that future problems do not occur, the collector has also announced that two borewells are to be dug in the Dalit area.
As per an NDTV report, a senior official, Durvijay Singh, had termed the kerosene contamination as being "not such a big issue" and added that the various communities in the village "live in amity". He was reported as saying, "Obviously someone has done this deliberately. It will eventually come out who was responsible."
The Dalits have cried foul play and alleged that it was revenge by the upper caste families for flouting their norms. So far no case has been registered regarding the matter. The police have however been re-stationed in the village.
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