Dalits Bar Doms From Using Water
HARIHARPUR, Sept 23: Local Dalits have barred a Dom family of
Hariharpur from fetching water from the only well in the area for not
being a Hindu.
A year-and-a-half ago Birendra Mallik´s (Dom) lost his father
Baleshwor, 40, after he drank water from a paddy field as he was not
allowed to drink water from the well. Rekha Mallik, the deceased´s
daughter-in-law vividly remembers the incident, "all of us had gone to
a relative´s marriage.
While returning, my father-in-law asked for water, but I wasn´t
allowed to fetch water from the well. Finally I got some water from
the paddy filed and gave him. That very water cost his life," A few
months after the incident, Baleshwar´s brother, Sankar too lost his
life for a similar reason.
"We´ve been fetching water from another locality for daily usage,"
Rekha said, adding, "Four months ago, we had gone India to attend our
sister´s marriage. When we returned home after 16 days, I went to
around half-a-dozen homes asking for some water. However, no one had
pity. Finally, we drank water stored 16 days ago from a pitcher and
spent the night."
Twenty kilometer north of the district headquarters, almost 50
families from Musahar, Mandal, Mahara, Muslim and other communities
drink water from the same well. However, the Dom family has been
barred from fetching water from the well. "Filling water is
far-fetched. Even if a small child touches the well while playing,
they come to loot our home," Rekha said.
Since the Dom community isn´t Hindu, we won´t allow them to fetch
water, Suraji Sada (Musar), a local said. Other locals too said that
as long as their leader doesn´t permit the Dom family to fetch water,
they wouldn´t allow either. Local Administration and Police, however,
are still unaware of the problem.
Dr Kamleshwar Sinha, Chief District Officer ,said that if there are
such problems, it should be solved.
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