On 29 August, a video from Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh appeared on social media. In the video, it was clear that Dalit students were made to sit separately from other students while eating mid-day meals at a primary school in UP’s Ballia.

The video also shows that general and backward caste students bring their own utensils and do not have their meals in plates provided by the school as Dalit students use them.

Some students at a primary school in Rampur bring plates from their home for mid-day meals & eat separately from SC/ST and Dalit students; a student says, “anyone can eat in the plates available in schools, so we bring separate plates from home”, reported ANI.

Who taught these small children to discriminate? Society? Families?

बलिया के प्राइमरी स्कूल जिसमें दलित छात्र छात्रा अलग भोजन कर रहे हैं दूसरे बच्चे इनके साथ खाना नहीं पसंद करते..बच्चो को ये सब कौन सिखाता है हमरे देश के लोगो के अपनी मानसिकता को बदलना होगा
RSS आरक्षण की समीक्षा की बात तो करता है लेकिन कभी जाति की समीक्षा की बात क्यों नहीं करता? pic.twitter.com/r7rxeDhHnR

— Bahujan4India (@Bahujan4India) August 29, 2019

Another shameful video of alleged caste discrimination. Two students in a primary school UP’s Ballia eat on banana leaves while other kids eat from steel plates. Why? Because they are Dalit Muslims.

Another shameful video of alleged caste discrimination. Two students in a primary school UP’s Ballia eat on banana leaves while other kids eat from steel plates. Why? Because they are Dalit Muslims. @TheQuint pic.twitter.com/Ww1pVDAqBR

— Asmita Nandy (@NandyAsmita) August 29, 2019

Taking note of the video, BSP activists visited the place next day and District Magistrate Dr Bhawani Singh Khangaraut used abusive language and tone with the BSP activists.

“BSP delegation that visited Rampur primary school in Ballia where students were seen eating mid-day meals separately. District Magistrate said BSP people wearing good clothes and shoes are talking about Dalits. We want to know if Dalits don’t have the right to wear good clothes in BJP Govt?” reported ANI.

They hate well dressed, educated, and assertive Dalits.

#ShoesfortheDM स्मार्ट दलितों से नफ़रत करने वाले बलिया के घोर जातिवादी डीएम भवानी सिंह के बयान पर आंबेडकरवादियों की प्रतिक्रिया आ रही है, देश विदेश से तस्वीरें अपलोड हो रही है आपसे कहूँगा की सभी कमजोर व महकूम तबके ख़ूबसूरत तस्वीरें जिसमे जूते विशेषकर दिखे ! pic.twitter.com/VxUIIrRxWT

— Brijesh jaiswal (@brijeshneta) August 31, 2019

Rather than handling or commenting on the caste discrimination faced by the children, Thakur DM started commenting on the clothes, shoes and car of BSP, Dalit, activists. He doesn’t seem fit for the post and should be sacked by the government, but there is little hope as Thakur CM is ruling in Uttar Pradesh.

Everyone should know that wearing suit-boot is a way Dalits since long have been trying to reclaim their space. Dr Babasaheb wore suit-boot while Gandhi and co. was in dhoti and chappal.

Thakur DM knows well that Thakur CM and Brahminical party BJP ruling in the state would protect him, no matter what he does. Such a sick mentality he has.

Such is the sick mentality of these so-called upper castes “well-educated” people that they hate Dalits dressing well or wearing nice shoes or travelling in nice cars.

In protest to Thakur DM’s sick mentality, which originates from the caste privileges, Dalit-Bahujan activists on social media started posting photos of their shoes as well as of themselves dressed up in nice clothes.

Following the incident, BSP chief and former Chief Minister Mayawati tweeted

यूपी के बलिया जिले के सरकारी स्कूल में दलित छात्रों को अलग बैठाकर भोजन कराने की खबर अति-दुःखद व अति-निन्दनीय। बीएसपी की माँग है कि ऐसे घिनौने जातिवादी भेदभाव के दोषियों के खिलाफ राज्य सरकार तुरन्त सख्त कानूनी कार्रवाई करे ताकि दूसरों को इससे सबक मिले व इसकी पुनरावृति न हो।

— Mayawati (@Mayawati) August 29, 2019

“News of Dalit students being segregated to eat separately a government school in Ballia is very condemnable and sad. The BSP demands that the state government immediately take legal action against the perpetrators of such disgusting racist discrimination so that others get a lesson to prevent such incidents in future,” Mayawati said.

There is a saying in Punjabi that “jutta pir hai bigdaya tigriya da” (which could be roughly translated into – beating with shoes can straighten any kind of criminal). Maybe DM also needs some jutta as a last resort.

If you would also like to slap shoes on the face of casteists Thakur DM for casteist behaviour and sick mentality, post your shoes with hashtag #ShoesForTheDM, seems like he needs a lot, well a lot, to heal his sick mindset. 

On the side note, the list of things that hurt so-called upper castes would be endless, here are a few things those hurt so-called upper castes the most. You can add more in the comments section!

• Word “Dalit” itself
• Dalits abroad
• Dalits at ATMs.
• Dalits in media
• Dalits in jobs
• Dalits in schools
• Dalits in cars
• Dalits wearing nice clothes, shoes
• Dalit girl/boy marring so-called upper caste.
• Dalits in politics
• Dalits talking about equal rights.

#ShoesfortheDM स्मार्ट दलितों से नफ़रत करने वाले बलिया के डीएम ठाकुर भवानी सिंह के बयान पर आंबेडकरवादियों की प्रतिक्रिया। देश विदेश से अपलोड हो रही तस्वीरें। pic.twitter.com/4wV7sDmsgi

— #मूलनिवासी (@WeareMulniwasi) August 31, 2019

#ShoesfortheDM स्मार्ट दलितों से नफ़रत करने वाले बलिया के डीएम ठाकुर भवानी सिंह के बयान पर आंबेडकरवादियों की प्रतिक्रिया। देश विदेश से अपलोड हो रही तस्वीरें। pic.twitter.com/dHediC13tr

— Dilip Mandal (@dilipmandal) August 31, 2019

I sending my 30 thousand‘s #ShoesfortheDM pic.twitter.com/wxZL3GLQAu

— Nitin Meshram (@nitinmeshram_) August 31, 2019

pic.twitter.com/Ol9BDJJqTU

— CPभाईYADAV (@cp4bhai) August 31, 2019

डीएम साहेब,
बाबा साहेब के जूते पर भी नजर करो !#ShoesForDM pic.twitter.com/tPHRRJN96C

— Suraj Kumar Bauddh (@SurajKrBauddh) August 31, 2019

#ShoesfortheDM
Here is my nike & addidas footwear saying something to casteist DM.
FU pic.twitter.com/XoAqGE8Epf

— sandeep punia (@puniasandeep11) August 31, 2019

भवानी सिंह डीएम बलिया जोकि घोर जातिवादी है,एक आईएएस की सोंच समाज के दबे कुचले लोगो के लिए आज भी इतनी निम्न स्तर की है,आज भी दलितों, आदिवासियों के साथ अमानवीय व्यवहार दुःखद है,आज कथित रामराज में पूरी व्यवस्था ही मनुवादी है।
कहीं नमक रोटी तो कहीं अछुतों जैसा व्यवहार#ShoesForTheDM pic.twitter.com/El7Bkkz3sK

— Arif habib khan 🇧🇾🇧🇾🚲عارف حبیب خان (@arifhabibkhansp) August 31, 2019