Caste tension in Mansa leads to boycott call & FIR, ends in compromise

MANSA: Police have registered a case against six upper-caste men of Kheeva Dayalu Wala village in Mansa under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for giving a call for social boycott of Dalits.


However, hours after the registration of case, both sides reached a compromise on Tuesday afternoon.

As per the pact, members of upper-caste communities will pay for the treatment of the six-year-old Dalit boy who was seriously injured after being hit by a motorcycle driven by a farmer on September 5. The incident led to tension between the two communities.

Now, upper-caste communities have decided to withdraw their call for social boycott of Dalits who, in turn, will submit an application for withdrawal of the case. There have been many instances in the past where upper-caste communities have calls for social boycott of Dalits, who mainly work as farm labourers, known as siri (helper), over fixing of wages. Dwindling returns from agriculture are learnt to have caused differences between the two communities, with siris (helpers) demanding higher wages and upper-caste farmers refusing to pay more. After mechanization spread in Punjab, resulting in the need of fewer helpers, differences also became infrequent.

Bhikhi police, after Monday midnight, registered a case against Ghuddar Singh, son of Kheeva Dayalu Wala sarpanch Baljit Kaur, panchayat member Buta Singh, Kaka Singh, Sukhpal Singh, Gulab Singh and Nirbhay Singh on a complaint by Fakiria Singh, grandfather of Harjot.