HC seeks govt reply over boycott of Dalits

AHMEDABAD: After treating a petition complaining about boycott of Dalit families in a north Gujarat village as a public interest litigation (PIL), Gujarat high court on Wednesday sought reply from the state government on the issue.
The case pertains to a complaint of boycott of Dalits by the higher castes in Nandali village of Mehsana district. The villagers have stopped giving fodder for cows belonging to Dalit families and providing commutation facilities to their children for school.This has triggered migration on part of three Dalit families from the village.
In this case, Babubhai Senma, a member of Dalit community, became a sarpanch of Nandoli village of Kheralu block between 2006 and 2011. His becoming a sarpanch did not go down well with members of the upper castes and friction began. In one of such flare ups, Senma was beaten and he even filed an FIR.
The situation worsened last year when Senma was slapped by a government official, who happened to be from Nandoli village, when he went to a government office to obtain caste certificate. Senma approached police and filed a complaint. This enraged the upper caste communities, who decided to boycott the five Dalit families living in the village.
As the issue of social boycott was raised before the authorities, Mehsana’s additional collector visited the village and instructed police to register an FIR in this regard. The government intervention infuriated villagers and they intensified the boycott further. The HC is to hear the issue further on December 6.