Seventy Dalits families at Kaludi village in Rajasthan’s Barmer district have claimed to be living in constant fear after they lodged two cases against some upper caste men for allegedly ostracising, harassing and threatening them following a dispute over a social media post. According to the villagers, a dispute between Meghwal and Rajpurohit communities broke out after a complaint was filed against two upper caste boys for making some casteist comments against the Dalits on social media. “A case was registered against the youths by a person living in a nearby village. This led to a dispute between the two communities and the Rajpurohits started threatening and harassing us,” Dinesh Meghwal, a resident of the village, said. He alleged that the some members from the Rajpurohit community were pressuring the Meghwals to withdraw the case. “They told us that we have been ostracised from the village and won’t be allowed to pass through the village roads or use any of other facilities. They abused and threatened us,” Dinesh said. He added that he filed a second complaint, on the behalf of the Meghwal community, against the Rajpurohits under several sections of IPC and SC/ST Act at the Balotra police station on August 16. While it is not the first time that the members from the Meghwal community have been allegedly harassed, another villager Arvind Kumar Meghwal said, “People from the Meghwal community in the village are living in fear amid constant threats.” However, the Rajpurohits have denied the charges of harassment and called the complaint a ‘conspiracy.’ Dhan Singh Rajpurohit, one of the accused in the case, told The Indian Express: “All the allegations levelled at me are false. I was not in the village when the incident happened.” Balotra police station SHO Bhanwar Lal Seervi said negotiations were on between the representatives of the two communities to diffuse the situation. “So far, nobody has been arrested and we have promised all parties involved of a fair probe,” he said. Police have been deployed in the village to maintain peace, Seervi added. State Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said appropriate action will be taken in the matter.
