If you don’t know the case, you should read this post before reading further Why Dalits Are Posting Pictures Of Cars And Shoes With #ShoesForTheDM

From last 2 days, Dalits on social media have been posting imaged of shoes, cars and watches to call out casteist behaviour of DM of Ballia.

On 02 September, DM of Ballia apologized for his casteist behaviour. Maybe it is the first time that some IAS has apologized publicly.

This is what we believe is the power of social media if used correctly. If we push unitedly for any cause, we can bring change with the click of the mouse.

सोशल मीडिया पर ट्रोल होने के बाद आख़िरकार बलिया के #DM ने सार्वजनिक तौर पर माफ़ी माँग ली है pic.twitter.com/QkwPmRhMMy

— Pankaj Jha (@pankajjha_) September 2, 2019

In his apology, he issued the following letter.

We tried to translate a part of it roughly, “No matter what, it was a mistake from my side to insult them (BSP Dalit leaders who visited the school to see the situation of caste discrimination faced by children). From the bottom of my heart, with my closed hands (how do you translate ‘hath jodkar’ in English?) and bowed down head, I apologise from them, their families, communities and all those who have been hurt with my words.”

We couldn’t stop laughing though at the last sentence which says, “I know despite a mistake from a person like me, who is deficient and crime-free (?), would not lead you to distrust the unbiasedness and dignity of DM position.”

Really man, whom are you kidding? How can anyone trust that you would provide justice to marginalized when your behaviour was so casteist?

Earlier, BSP chief Mayawati had slammed the state government over discrimination meted out to Dalit students in a primary school in Ballia. In a tweet, she said the news of Dalit students being made to sit and eat separately in a government school in Ballia was most condemnable and sad. “The BSP demands the state government to immediately take strict legal action against people responsible for such racist discrimination so that others get a lesson and such cases do not recur,” she said.

By the way, what do you think, should an apology be accepted?

There are some Dalits who still want a case on him under SC/ST Act. Many others believe he should be suspended as he will never provide justice. What do you think?