Dalits allege denial of access to public tap water in Kavoor area

Dalits allege denial of access to public tap water in Kavoor area

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Jan 28,2013 : There have been instances in history when people belonging to the so called lower castes were denied access to drinking water from wells. Even the life history of the architect of the Indian constitution Dr BR Ambedkar makes a mention of this caste based discrimination which Ambedkar himself suffered in his childhood days.

 

 

 

Now, in Mangalore, a group of Dalit people have complained that they were denied access to water from a public tap in their area by some members of the Lingayat community, on caste grounds.

A group of Dalits namely Hemanappa, Bharath, Manju, Shivu and Mallikarjuna who spoke to reporters  after attending the SC,ST grievance redressal meeting held at the Commissioner’s office on January 27, Sunday, alleged that  at their place of stay, Basavanagara, Marakada near Kavoor, some people of the Lingayat community have asked them to stay away from the public water tap in the area.

“They ask us not to use the tap water as we are from a lower caste and even abuse us,” said Shivu. He says they have tap connection in their house, but use the public water taps occasionally, when their taps go dry.

Another person named Mallikarjuna even alleged that a certain Basavaraju even  had once barged into his house and misbehaved with his wife. It has been gathered that the Kavoor police have registered an FIR  and have detained a person. However, the aggrieved Dalit people of the area seem unhappy with the progress of investigations.

Earlier, at the SC/ST grievance redressal meeting, Dalit leader Krishnappa Konchady, while referring to the mention of the names of Dalit female victims of sexual harassment cases in some newspaper reports, requested for steps to see that the names are not mentioned.