Man Branded 'Untouchable', Family Boycotted For Eating At Dalit Home

In a chilling reminder of how deeply caste prejudices continue to survive in parts of rural India, a case of social boycott and untouchability has surfaced from a village in Madhya Pradesh's Raisen district. Bharat Raj Dhakad, an RSS worker, says his family has been ostracised simply because he and two companions ate food at the 'shraadh' (a Hindu ritual honouring ancestors) ceremony of a Dalit family.

According to Bharat, he, along with Manoj Patel and teacher Satyendra Raghuvanshi, had eaten at the home of Santosh Parole, a Dalit resident of Pipariya Puariya village. A video of the meal, recorded by Raghuvanshi, later went viral, triggering backlash from some in the village.

Bharat alleges that soon afterwards, a panchayat gathering headed by Sarpanch Bhagwan Singh Patel, and attended by several influential villagers, including Balaram Patel, Nagendra Patel, Niranjan Patel, Jawahar Patel, Lakhan Dhakad, Laxman Das, Ramsevak Sharma, Jasman Singh, and Deputy Sarpanch Chandra Prakash, passed a decree. In the meeting, Bharat says he was told, "Eating food at a Valmiki (Dalit) family's home is a sin."

The panchayat allegedly demanded that the three men undergo "purification," which included bathing in the Ganga and organising a community feast to atone for their "crime." Under pressure, Manoj Patel and Satyendra Raghuvanshi reportedly carried out the ritual, while Bharat refused, calling the diktat unconstitutional and unacceptable.

Bharat Raj Dhakad also said, "I actively work for the RSS. We do not believe in any kind of untouchability. Last month, an incident occurred with me. In our village Panchayat, we ate food at Santosh's father's wedding ceremony, during a shraadh ceremony. Our RSS workers and one of our teachers were also present. Satyendra Raghuvanshi ji made a video of the entire meal. However, after the video went viral, we were socially boycotted."

As a result, Bharat claims his family is being socially boycotted. His father, Niranjan Singh, is not invited to village ceremonies, residents refuse to interact with them, and they face humiliation and discrimination daily. Despite approaching the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and police earlier, Bharat says no action was taken. He has now submitted a fresh application during a public hearing, demanding immediate intervention.

The incident is shocking because Udaypura is the constituency of Minister of State (Independent Charge) Narendra Shivaji Patel. Just weeks ago, the same minister had publicly eaten at a Dalit home in an attempt to promote social harmony, yet his gesture appears to have had no influence on the panchayat's rigid attitude.

The incident was brought up during the public hearing before District Collector Arun Kumar Vishwakarma, who expressed strong disapproval. He said, "Such evils will not be tolerated at any cost. Action has been taken in similar cases before, FIRs have been filed, and legal action will follow in this case as well."