Dog's day: Caste out after roti bite
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Sheroo, the dog
, Bhopal, Sept. 22: For Sheroo, it's been a dog's life.
The pet dog has been labelled an outcast(e) by his rich master and
abandoned because he tucked into a roti offered by a Dalit woman.
Amrit Lal Dhakar aka Mitta, a caste-conscious landlord in Madhya
Pradesh's Morena district, now wants Sunita to take care of the dog
and pay him Rs 15,000 in damages. He has approached district collector
M.K. Aggarwal for "justice" and adequate "compensation".
Sunita has, in turn, gone to police seeking action against Mitta under
the provisions for atrocities against weaker sections. Last night,
Mitta drove her and her husband out of their Manikpur village home.
The bizarre fight has infuriated Aggarwal, who said that in his two
years as collector, he had never come across such a case. "At one
level, it is a sad commentary that deep-rooted casteism is prompting
people to indulge in such unbecoming conduct," he said.
About a fortnight ago, Sunita was carrying food for her husband
Chandan Jatav, an agricultural labourer, in the fields when she saw
the dog. Sensing it was hungry, she fished out a roti from her bag and
fed him.
Just then, Mitta emerged from nowhere. Finding Sheroo eating
something, he asked Sunita what her caste was and allegedly badmouthed
her for "polluting" his pet.
A few days later, he landed up at Sunita's home and told her to look
after the dog "forever". He also apparently demanded Rs 15,000 in
compensation and left Sheroo behind despite Sunita saying her husband
didn't earn enough for them to keep a pet.
A week after that, Sunita was summoned to a public hearing by the
district collector. As she narrated the sequence of events, she broke
down saying Mitta was pressuring her to pay Rs 15,000 in lieu of the
dog.
Aggarwal then asked the police to register a case against Mitta under
the provisions for atrocities against Dalits and issue him a notice.
Mitta has refused comment.
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