MP: Villagers refuse to eat sweets touched by Dalit boy

Two upper-caste villagers allegedly refused to eat sweets during a Republic Day function at a school in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh, saying they were contaminated after a Dalit student touched them, police said on Thursday.

The Shahganj Police have booked Gaurishankar Gaur and Ghanashyam Patel under various sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the IPC after a signed complaint was received about the incident in the government middle school in Akola village, about 75 kilometres from Bhopal.

The duo refused to touch the sweets after Sumant Ahirwar, a Dalit student, brought them from a room on being asked to do so by a teacher. Ahirwar later approached the police.

Head Constable Chandrashekhar told The Indian Express Thursday that a sub-divisional police officer was probing the incident and the case diary would soon be sent to the SC/ST police station. No arrest has been made.