Right to equality, Fundamental rights, and Article 17 are the basic terms one needs to abide by, etched in our own Constitution. However, a specific set of people still violate the above-mentioned principles nonchalantly.
A similar incident happened in a small village in central Tamil Nadu on December 27. A disgraceful case of caste discrimination has surfaced from Irayur village in Tamil Nadu as human feces were found dumped in a water tank meant specifically for the Dalit community.
The horrible act came to light after the community complained that their children have been falling sick. The collector and district police chief visited the village to investigate the same. A doctor had suspected contaminated water to be the probable cause of children getting sick. Therefore, some young men were appointed to climb up the tank and inspect it. What they thought to be contamination turned out to be something disgusting and deep-rooted in society.
To their surprise, they found large amounts of human feces dumped inside the water tank. The water tank had a capacity of 10000 litres of water which was supplied to a Scheduled Caste community of around 100 people. The wastes were dumped to the point that the water had turned yellow.
It is reported that children were consuming this water for more than a week which led to their sickness. This disgusting incident highlights not only the prevailing caste discrimination but also the wastage of around 10,000 litres of water, a resource that is already scarce in India.
It was found that people from Scheduled Castes have been subjected to this bigotry for the last three generations. Upon further investigation by the collector and police chief, it was found that there were many instances of discrimination.
The local tea shop had a two-glass system with separate glasses for the Dalit community. The individuals from Scheduled Castes haven't been allowed to enter the local temple for three generations. Upon reaching the temple, a woman prohibited them from entering the temple. She claimed to be possessed by a deity who does not want the scheduled caste people to enter. Police have filed cases against both the tea vendor and the woman. The BJP will send a team to investigate.
Article 17 of the Indian Constitution mentions that 'Untouchability is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden.'