Uttarakhand: Dalits Allege Ostracisation Due to Man’s Inability to Beat ‘Dhol’ Whole Night in Chamoli Village

Dehradun:  Dalits of a village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand are allegedly being ostracised by upper caste people for not beating the ‘dhol’ (drum) the whole night during Baisakhi celebrations.

Interestingly, despite efforts by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party/Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh combine to portray Uttarakhand as a ‘model Hindu state’ on the lines of ‘Gujarat model’, cases of atrocities against Dalits and tribals are on the rise in the hill state.

In the past one week, two cases of alleged atrocities against Dalits and tribals have been reported and cases registered under relevant sections of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) and Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

In a recent case registered by the Chamoli district police, 28 people belonging to upper castes have been booked for allegedly ostracising the Dalit families of Subhai-Chachri village in Joshimath block. The Dalits of the village, in a complaint to the Joshimath police station, charged that some upper caste people of the village were miffed with Pushkar Lal, a Dalit ‘dhol’ (drum) player for not beating the ‘dhol’ the whole night during the Baisakhi celebrations in May 2024.

Pushkar Lal who played the dhol for only two hours pleaded that he was unwell so could not play the instrument the whole night. He alleged that some upper caste people charged him of being drunk and imposed a fine a Rs.5,000 on him, which he reportedly paid to the village panchayat on May 3, 2024. According to the police complaint, this did not placate the upper caste people who called for ostracisation of Dalits from the resources of the village.

Joshimath Kotwali police in-charge Rakesh Bhatt told reporters that a case had been registered against 28 people and police investigations were going on. Last Wednesday, DSP Parmod Shah, and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Chander Shekhar Vashisht, along with a police team, visited the village and talked to both the parties. The officials said that prima facie, the charges have been found to be true and further action would be taken. Meanwhile, upper caste people have refuted the allegations of ostracisation of Dalits but admitted that Pushkar Lal, the drumbeater, was fined for being drunk during a religious festival.        

In another incident, Uttarakhand police booked nine people on charges of garlanding a tribal woman with shoes in a village in Champawat district of Kumaon region. According to police, some villagers, who were unhappy after being affected by the recent floods and subsequent relief measures, allegedly garlanded the woman village sarpanch, belonging to Scheduled Tribe community, with shoes.

Residents of Gudmi village under Banbasa police station in Champawat were hit by massive floods recently and lost their houses and crops. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected area of Banbasa and ordered relief measures. Annoyed with the “inadequate” relief measures, angry villagers allegedly put a garland of shoes on the neck of Vinita Rana, the village head, and insulted her. Rana filed a complaint with the police. A probe order has been assigned to the circle officer (CO) but action is still awaited. Police have booked nine people, including five women, under Sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt),351 (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult), 193 (liability of owner, occupier etc of land on which an unlawful assembly or riot takes place) of BNS and relevant sections of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Uttarakhand has been witnessing a rise in crimes committed against members of the SC/ST community. In 2019, as many as 100 such cases were registered, the number went up to 115 in 2020 and 135 in 2021, as per police records.

Upper caste Rajputs and Brahmins account for more than 60% of the population while Dalits constitute about 19% of the population in the hill state. Caste discrimination in wedding ceremonies is not uncommon with reports of Dalits being served food separately.  

In September 2022, Jagdish Chandra, a Dalit political activist of Panuadhokhan village, was killed at Bhikiasain town of Almora district for marrying an upper caste girl Geeta.

The case of Sunita Devi, a mid-day meal school cook (Bhojan Mata) was reportedly sacked from her job following objections by parents of upper caste students in Champawat district. A case was registered on her complaint but the state government claimed she was removed following discrepancy in her appointment.

These incidents have had political repercussions. Dalit and tribal members of panchayats have decided to form their own organisation. Jagat Singh Martoliya, a member of the district panchayat, Pithoragarh, said that the interests of Dalits and tribals are not secure and they need to have their own outfits.

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.