The Tribune: Teej event organisers booked for ‘refusing’ food to Dalit girls in Bathinda village

Separate counter for Scheduled Castes allegedly set up

Dalit Mahapanchayat leader Kiranjit Singh Gehri talks to women in Bathinda’s Maluka village on Friday.

The police have registered a case against Teej function organisers, including an AAP leader, for having allegedly turned away Dalit girls from a food counter and instead asking them to get food from a counter reserved for Scheduled Castes.

The alleged incident took place at the district’s Maluka village on Wednesday.

The Dyalpura police have registered a case against event organisers Raghvir Singh, Jagsir Singh, Lakha Singh and Kuldeep Kaur, all residents of Maluka village, under Section 506 of the IPC and Section 3 of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Raghvir is the owner of a jewellery shop at Bhagta Bhaika village, while Jagsir is the husband of the Maluka nagar panchayat president. Lakha is an AAP leader.

The complainant, Sukhdeep Kaur, claimed: “When I went to the food counter, Kuldeep Kaur turned me away by saying there was a separate stall for Dalits. Swarana Singh and Jagsir standing beside her told me the same thing.”

Subsequently, event organiser Raghvir Singh made an announcement that Dalit girls should get off the stage, Sukhdeep Kaur alleged.

Other Dalit girls, Sandeep Kaur and Manpreet Kaur, were meted the same treatment.

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

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