Dalit Hacked To Death For Entering Atta Mill
According to Uttrakhand Police, a Dalit was killed for touching atta chakki during Navratri. The shocking incident has ocuured Bageshwar, Dehradun where a teacher stabbed a Dalit man just because he had grinded wheat in the same mill where he had.
Speaking to The Logical Indian, Sukhbir Singh, the Superintendent of Police informed that on Thursday, 35-year-old Sohan Ram came to grind wheat at Kundan Singh’s mill, at the same time resident of Bheth village, Lalit Karnatak who is a teacher at Primary School also reached there.
Seeing Sohan Ram there, Lalit started passing casteist remarks and blamed him for contaminating the mill by grinding his wheat. Hearing this, Sohna Ram also replied back which led to an altercation between them. The teacher was so furious that when Sohan bent down to carry his sack, he slit his neck from behind and Sohna Ram died on the spot. The teacher, Lalit was arrested under section 302, and 506 SC/ST Act and a case were filed against him. Lalit Karnatak was employed as a teacher in a Primary School at Hatharsiya. Sohan Ram has two children. SP Sukhbir Singh said that the family of Sohan Ram will be given compensation since he was the only earning member of the family and his wife is pregnant with a third child. SP Sukhbir Singh also mentioned that during the investigation he found out that casteist remarks were used.
After this incident, the owner of the mill, Kundan Singh fled in fear. As per Sukhbir Singh, this was the first time when an incident like this happened in this area. It has been long since Dalits have been coming to this mill. The teacher has been arrested, and the further investigation has been delegated to Police area officer.
It’s sad that even teachers commit such crimes. Even though caste discrimination is nothing new. It is saddening to know that the pillars of knowledge,teachers, encourages discrimination and sets such rotten examples for the young minds. Caste centric discrimination has been banned in India since 1955, but 16% of the country’s population still face the prejudice everywhere.
