Rajasthan: Dalits face intense opposition over burial ground rights (Siasat)

The upper caste members threatened Salvi community members with dire consequences, asserting that people from 'lower castes' could not perform last rites on their land.

The attack took place in Dev Doongri village falling under the Kushalpura Gram Panchayat (Photo:The MoonkNayak)

By News Desk

A case of caste-based discrimination has emerged from Rajsamand district of Rajasthan where a Salvi family belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community was attacked by upper caste individuals during a funeral.

The attack took place in Dev Doongri village falling under the Kushalpura Gram Panchayat when the family of the deceased, Ghisa Ram, who passed away on October 31, was going to perform the last rites on the funeral site provided by the village Panchayat.

Some members of the Rawat community of the local area allegedly attempted to stop the SC family from using the land, which led to tension between the two groups and incidents such as stone pelting. The authorities’ intervention was required to make sure that the burial was possible.

The situation escalated when the members of the Rawat community threatened Ganga Ram and his family with dire consequences, asserting that people from lower castes could not perform last rites on “their land”. This hostility disrupted the funeral procession and forced SC community members to leave, causing significant distress.

Police action over caste discrimination

In response to this incident, Ganga Ram registered a First Information Report (FIR) naming 22 accused people and about 50 to 100 unidentified individuals, citing caste-based abuse, threats, and assault.

This story was originally published in siasat.com. Read the full story here.

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