When you think Dalits have seen all forms of caste discrimination, you are proven wrong by so-called upper castes of India. Toilets in BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh have become the latest addition to the glory of the way caste discrimination is practiced.

Despite Prime Minister Modi’s campaign for the Swachh Bharat, on which crores of rupees were spent without any significant result, so-called upper castes’ mindset has not changed a bit.

So-called upper castes of Barakhera village, about 50km from the district headquarters of Chhattarpur, have been breaking the toilets built by the Dalit community as per the report of the TOI. As per the TOI report,

The tussle is between the downtrodden Prajapatis and influential Patels in Barakhera village, about 50km from the district headquarters of Chhattarpur. Women of the SC community have alleged that some Patels smashed the toilets because their doors opened in front of their houses and narrowed down the road. “We are now forced to go out to relieve ourselves,” they rued. For some Prajapatis, it’s even worse. “To add to our woes, the Patel community has threatened to beat us if we go out to defecate. Neither are we allowed to go to our toilets, nor are we allowed to go in the open. What can we do now,” asked Champa.

“But all our efforts are likely to go to waste. Now, we will have to go out for defecation,” said Mithila Prajapati, a local. The SC families are now using earthen pots in their backyard, said Mukesh Prajapati. “We are suffering because the village sarpanch also belongs to the Patel community. The only reason why our toilets were broken is that they were built in front of the houses of Patels.”

It’s nothing new that whenever Dalits have tried to progress a bit there has been the backlash from the so-called upper castes. Indeed, the fault also lies with the administration, which is usually again from so-called upper castes, that why didn’t administration survey the area before constructing any toilet that whether it should not be creating any issue later on. But on the other hand so-called upper castes are using their influence and dominance in a way that is not at all civilized.

Another thing, why didn’t so-called upper castes object when these toilets were being built?

Such kind of discrimination is not accepted in civilized society. One of the reasons Dalits face discrimination and harassment at the hands of so-called upper castes is because they have to go and work in the fields of so-called upper castes and need to use their fields to defecate. So, can it be the reason that so-called upper castes are destroying those toilets so that the dependency of Dalits on them doesn’t end? Hence they can continue to oppress them.

Discrimination and oppression of Dalits must end. BJP/RSS ruled Madhya Pradesh is already unfamous for denying Dalits their rights. It is a high time that government takes necessary action and help Dalits come out poverty and help them break chains of caste discrimination that they face.