When prosperous people in Uttar Pradesh village had their way, the local Dalits are finding difficult to have cremation ground for themselves.
Its not only the story of a 17-year-old Ashu, who is Dalit girl from Sinauli village, was deprived of a resting place in a village cremation ground on Sunday, but also it is a story of many Dalits, who are deprived of many rights by non SC/ST.
For ten hours, her relatives begged the village musclemen to let them use the ground. However, the grabbers of the ground declared that the place has been reserved for non-Scheduled.
Interestingly, state SC/ST Commission vice-chairman Mukesh Siddharth was present in Baghpat district when the dalits were fighting for their rights.
Later, Lokesh Dixit, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA arrived at the spot and suggested the family members to hold the cremation elsewhere instead of engaging in a verbal duel.
Why we are we being deprive of our rights? , why we don’t have emotions? Asked Pradeep Prasad, father of the deceased.
There are two grounds in the village for the cremation – one has been encroached by a rich family and the other was grabbed by some goons owing allegiance to the ruling party. Obviously, we don’t have a place for our dead. Said dejected father.
“We also staged a sit-in at the tehsil office for eight hours. But instead of helping us, the police and local administrative officers were siding with the affluent people and was stopping us.Later the administration told us that “after investigation only we can booked the cases”.
India is a Secular Country and such matters brings a stain on its Secular Fabric.