Prasad was distributed in this Hanuman temple of Chhatarpur. After the complaint, the police also came to investigate.
A case related to untouchability has come to light in Atrar village of Chhatarpur. Some people of the village alleged that due to an order of the Sarpanch, the entire village has socially boycotted 20 families. He had taken prasad from the hands of a Dalit and eaten it.
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Now the situation is such that the ostracized Brahmins are not getting a host, they are not getting a haircut from the salon owners. Chhatarpur is the same place from where Bageshwar Dham Peethadhishwar Dhirendra Shastri had started the Sanatan Hindu Ekta Yatra two months ago. Then the slogan was given – ‘Farewell to casteism, Hindu-Hindu Bhai-Bhai.’
Dainik Bhaskar Reached Ground Zero and talked to the people and tried to know from where the whole matter started and whether 20 families are really facing the brunt of social boycott. Read this report…
This is the village where the case of casteism has come to light.
No one himself is ready to say anything in the matter Atrar village with a population of about 3500 is about 15 km from the district headquarters. On reaching the village, we came to know that the issue of caste has become a topic of discussion here. Whoever was asked in the beginning, who would give information about the matter? So people kept telling the address of Jagdish Tiwari’s house, but no one was ready to say anything.
On reaching Jagdish Tiwari’s house, he met his son Narayan Tiwari. He took us to the courtyard of the house. He said – We cannot talk about anything outside, otherwise it will create trouble for us. Neighbors will make our life difficult. His wife also said the same thing.
90 year old Jagdish Tiwari was also sitting on a cot in the courtyard. When we wanted to understand the whole matter from him, he said that first you should talk to the person from whose hands we have been ostracized from the society because of eating prasad. Then we will tell our entire problem. He took us to the temple and talked to that Dalit man Jagat Ahirwar.
There is an allegation of social boycott on distribution of Prasad after puja in this temple.
Sarpanch issued order of boycott Jagat Ahirwar of the village told that on August 20, 2024, after fulfilling his wish, I offered Magaj laddus at the Hanuman temple of Talaiya, 2 km away from the village. The prasad was offered by temple priest Ramkishore Agnihotri. After this I distributed Prasad among more than 20 people present there.
Those who ate the Prasad included people from Brahmins to 3-4 other castes. When information about this reached the village, the upper caste Sarpanch of the village, Santosh Kumar Tiwari, issued an order that the person who had eaten Prasad from the hands of the world, should be separated from the society. They should not be invited to weddings or any program. No one should attend any of his programs.
‘Nobody touches him after the boycott’ Those who took Prasad from my hand were Jagdish Tiwari, Mahesh Awasthi, Ramkishore Agnihotri, Ganesh Tiwari, Vinod Vishwakarma, Kuttam Kushwaha, Mihilal Kushwaha, Raju Kushwaha, Uttam Kachhi, Nandi Kushwaha, Lallu Yadav and some others.
Jagat told that the effect of untouchability is very strong here. We are Dalits so we cannot sit with them, they do not even drink the water touched by our hands.
Case registered after complaint to SP When because of me other people of the village were tortured like this for many days. As the situation became worse, I along with everyone else complained about this matter to the SP. After this a case was registered in Satai police station. The police is investigating the matter SDOP Saheb and TI Saheb had arranged a chaupal by making both the parties sit 2 days ago.
Explained to everyone. Even after this the situation remains the same. People are calling this matter a political matter, these are the people who spread the poison of casteism and do not want casteism to end from this area.
We want that casteism should end here and everyone in the village should live as brothers. Dhirendra Shastriji had undertaken a yatra to eradicate casteism from here, but no effect is visible here. The upper castes are spreading untouchability by citing the same old traditions.
‘Father ate prasad, depression due to boycott’ Villager Narayan Tiwari said, that day my father Jagdish Tiwari also ate the prasad distributed by Jagat Ahirwar in the temple. After this our family was ostracized by the society. Narayan told that in our family our niece got married and we were not invited to it. Nor was the name printed in the card.
After this incident our father has gone into depression. We are also forced to live a humiliating life with mental stress. 20 to 25 families of the village are facing similar problems. There is a lot of untouchability in public places in the village.
People of the same caste fill water in a well at the same time. There is also a problem of water in the village. Pipelines have been laid, but water is not coming to any house, hence people have to fill water from the well.
Tradition of making Fard in the villages around Chhatarpur Narayan Tiwari told that there is a tradition of making Fard in our village as well as in many other villages. Fard means a kind of list. This means that whenever there is a wedding or program in the village, some people from the family organizing the program and heads of other societies sit at one place.
They all together decide who to invite to the programme. Whom to invite with family and whom single. After this the barber was called and given the list. The barber invites them. This list does not include the names of people who have married into another caste or have not committed any kind of murder and have not taken any initiative for purity.
‘Laddus vendors tease me by saying that they did not come to their father’s Shraddha.’ Lallu Yadav, who is a farmer in the village, told that he had performed Shraddha for his father on Amavasya before Rakshabandhan. People were also invited and food was prepared for them, but due to the refusal of the Sarpanch, 200 people did not come for the Shraddha.
Don’t invite us to any wedding or event Ratan Vishwakarma of the same village said that his younger brother had eaten Prasad, due to which he too has been kept away from the society. They don’t invite us to any wedding or event. Nor do they attend any of our programs. Mannu Sen said that my grandson had come after eating the prasad of Hanumanji.
After this, we are not even able to find people to do farming work. Many people are not even getting us to do shaving work. Similarly, Sharad Awasthi told that our father had passed away recently. After this we had invited people for Thirteenth, but they did not come to our place. Our uncle’s son Mahesh Awasthi also ate that prasad.
The priest said – no one invites the host Village priest Ramkishore Agnihotri said that I have been doing Pandittai here ever since I regained consciousness. Before this my father used to do Pandittai here. We are the priests of the Shiva temple here. Jagat Ahirwar came to me on 20th August. He said that I have to offer prasad in the Hanuman temple at Talaiya. My wish has been fulfilled. You go and offer prasad. I went to the temple to offer him Prasad. After offering the Prasad, Jagat distributed the Prasad to everyone. When it was given to me, I also ate the Prasad. What kind of caste discrimination is there in God’s offerings?
Punishment if you eat at the house of a person married to another caste Ashok Awasthi from the village said that this is not a big matter, it is our tradition. Because of this my marriage broke. It was a few years ago. My marriage was fixed in a nearby village. After this, one of my cousins ​​eloped with a girl and got married.
Because of this the villagers had shunned us. We were not allowed to eat in the village for a year. Due to this my engagement also broke. After a year, when I requested the villagers to come back to the mainstream, they asked me to conduct Katha Purana and provide food to all the castes of the village.
When I did all this, I was able to join back into the mainstream. The Panchayat also imposes fine on people for other types of crimes like running away and marrying.
My hair is not allowed to be cut in the village, I have to go to Chhatarpur. Ramesh Tiwari, who was eating prasad in the temple, said, “Those who are saying that this is a political matter, I want to say that they should show in front of everyone that it is our hand or the hand of any Dalit by eating the prasad.” They don’t even drink the water touched by us.
Sarpanch said – punishment and fine tradition, I did not ostracize Sarpanch Santosh Tiwari said that I have not hatched any conspiracy. No one has been ostracized in the village. Nor has any villager been asked to do so. People give invitations to weddings only on the basis of their relations. The complaints they are making are false and baseless. This is all a political conspiracy.
Manoj Mishra is from my village. He had contested elections against me in the year 2022. He had to face defeat. He had conspired in the murder of his uncle. Due to this, a case of murder was registered against him. After uncle’s death, we along with his brothers had gone to the field to pick up his dead body. That’s why they keep chasing us.
This Prasad distributer, Jagat Ahirwar, has been the Sarpanch of the village from 2010 to 2015. It had occupied a community building for 12 years. After becoming Sarpanch, I got that building vacated with the help of the government and administration. That is why he has harbored a grudge against me. He is hatching such conspiracies to put pressure on me.
Police said- We have explained by setting up a chaupal TI RN Pateria said, there is factionalism going on in Atrar village between Sarpanch Santosh Tiwari and Manoj Mishra. Jagat Ahirwar is a person from Manoj Mishra’s group. In 2022, Manoj’s name came up in a murder case. After this he was acquitted. In this happiness, Jagat had offered Prasad in the temple.
Sarpanch Santosh is accused that all those who were involved in taking Prasad have been ostracized from the society. Police is investigating this matter. Statements from both sides have been taken. If the allegations are found true, action will be taken. We have also explained to the people by setting up a Chaupal in the village.
We asked TI that the priest said that no one is making him perform puja? So TI said that worship is a personal matter. Whether someone gets the puja done or not. We cannot put pressure on anyone. Police administration is not responsible for this. Still we will take the statement of the priest.
If it comes to light that someone is making people do this by intimidation, then action will be taken against that also.
