Battlelines drawn

The strained relations between Ratna and Kamlesh could probably define the social structure in the villages of this Thakur dominated region of Mathura. Like in most of western Uttar Pradesh8217;s villages, an uneasy and fragile sense of peace prevails in Tarauli.

This incident has angered the Dalits in Tarauli and they say Kamlesh8217;s father Saudan Singh did the right thing by going to the police. The Dalits, they said, had ignored lesser incidents of exploitation by the Thakurs to maintain peace in the village.

Thakurs constitute close to 75 per cent of the population in Tarauli while Scheduled Castes8212;Jatavs as the dominant caste8212;form the rest. Villagers and senior administration officials say tension between the two castes has been building over the last few years.

8220;While the Jatavs dominate the political scene in the region of about 40 villages, the Thakurs make the numbers,8221; said a police official of Chhata police station.

Under the rule of Mayawati, who too is a Jatav, the Uttar Pradesh police are pushed to investigate caste-related violence, senior police officials in Mathura said. 8220;The pressure from above to solve such cases is too much these days; every case of violence against Dalits has to be solved as soon as possible and that has angered some upper caste leaders in the district,8221; a senior police official said on the condition of anonymity.

The elected member of the legislative assembly from Mathura Shyam Singh Aheria is also from the 8216;lower8217; caste and that, officials say, adds to the pressure. So it was no surprise that the action in this case was swift and Ratna8217;s brother Sunny is now in jail after he was arrested within two hours of the incident.

Sunny, who is pursuing his masters in social studies from a college in Mathura, has always been a bright student, claim his family members. 8220;This case is caused by some misunderstanding,8221; Sunny8217;s uncle Kamal Singh said. 8220;The two communities have always lived in harmony,8221; he claimed.

But the Jatavs aren8217;t so sure. Any step 8216;against the wishes8217; of the upper castes of the village causes violent reactions from the Thakurs. 8220;Only political power can help us,8221; an angry Ajaib Singh, Kamlesh8217;s uncle, said as he and other family members showed marks and scars on their bodies, allegedly inflicted by the Thakurs.

The social assertion by the minority caste in the village, a direct result of the political assertion in the state, has led to strained relations, villagers claim.

8220;Most of us Jatavs work on Thakurs8217; fields. Political support and education for the community in recent times have not helped,8221; said Haare Singh, a school teacher in Mathura.

At the hospital in Mathura, Manju Singh, Kamlesh8217;s mother, has a visitor in the emergency ward. Jasram Singh, head of the district panchayat union, has paid a visit and wants her to reach a compromise with the Thakur family. Manju, however, says, 8220;Their word cannot be trusted; after all the whole union is dominated by Thakurs and other upper castes.8221;

Puran Singh Thakur, village head of Tarauli, had the last word, 8220;We have made every attempt to bring harmony to the villages; but what does one do when the 8216;granths8217; holy books have clearly mentioned the divide amongst communities.8221;