Punjab SC commission takes Suo-Moto notice
KS Diwan/ royalpatiala.in/ Chandigarh
The Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission has taken a suo-moto notice of incident of boycott Dalits diktat in Khiva Dialuwala village in Mansa district of Punjab.
Tejinder Kaur Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission Chairperson said that the commission has sought a detailed report from Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mansa by October 3rd, 2019.
Case History-
Dalits of Khiva Dialuwala village in Punjab’s Mansa district filed a police complaint on against their alleged boycott by the upper caste families, announcements regarding which were purportedly made through loudspeakers from the village gurdwara. The video of the announcement is being widely shared on the social media in which a male voice can be heard urging the upper caste families to boycott lower caste people . The diktat was to neither sell to nor buy anything from Dalits, not even farm produce, including milk. Dalits will also not be deployed as labour and won’t be invited to social gatherings, the announcement dictates. The village has 66 Scheduled Caste families and 300 of the upper caste.
The granthi of the village gurdwara said, “I made the boycott announcement about upper caste families to boycott lower caste people at the behest of the Jat Sikhs of the village, including the son of the village sarpanch.”
Former IAS officer SR Ladhar, who is working for the welfare of Dalits, expressed concern over the situation and said he had talked to Mansa Deputy Commissioner seeking action in the matter. Mansa Deputy commissioner Apneet Raiyiat said a case is being registered . Khudar Singh, son of the sarpanch Baljeet Kaur, who has been named in the complaint filed by Dalits, said, “Even as I am not supporting boycott, it was a collective decision of upper caste families of the village.”
