Dalit woman not allowed to hoist national flag
SUCHANDANA GUPTA
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1202862.cms
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2005 09:46:59 AM ]
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BHOPAL: In the 58th year of our Independence, a sarpanch's claim that
she was not allowed to hoist the tricolour for coming from a backward
caste makes one wonder if we are truly free.
In a letter to the Bundelkhand police superintendent, Anita Bai
Ahirwar has alleged that government officials did not permit her to
hoist the national flag on August 15 because she belongs to the Dalit
community.
"I was told by the officials that chamar-chamariya (Dalits) cannot
hoist the national flag at the centre of a market place," Anita Bai
wrote, giving an account of how she was prevented from raising the
flag in a chowk that fell under the jurisdiction of her panchayat.
Anita Bai, the sarpanch of Patehra village in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh
district, said every Independence Day, the person occupying her post
is given the honour of hoisting the flag in the main market-Gandhi
Chowk.
"On August 14, local police station in-charge Vikram Singh called a
meeting of select respectable citizens. Around 6.30 pm, Vikram Singh,
along with the chief executive officer and tehsildar, told me the
head of the janpad panchayat would hoist the flag."
As the news filtered out, Dalits in Patehra began protesting. "The
officials knew I am a Dalit woman and exposed their anti-Dalit
sentiments. When they stuck to their decision, I asked them to give
their joint decision in writing. At 9 pm on August 14, I received a
letter which did not specify whether the janpad head or I would hoist
the flag,''
Anita Bai said. "Next morning, I took that letter and travelled 50
km to the district headquarters in Damoh to meet the collector and
the police superintendent. Neither were available,'' she added.
Inspector-general of police, Sagar range, Rajendra Kumar has a different...
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