70 Dalit families debarred from village by dominant caste

At least 70 Dalit families from Kanudi village in Rajasthan's Barmer district were allegedly debarred from accessing basic facilities by dominant Rajpurohit families.

The matter flared up after a resident of the village Rawat Ram lodged a complaint with the police against few members of a Rajpurohit family for allegedly posting some derogatory remarks over Dalits on social media sites.

Soon after the complaint, the dominant caste allegedly ousted the villagers from the village. The complainant also claimed that the Rajpurohit families have restricted the Dalits from taking water from the common well and also their children were stopped by the dominant caste from going to school.

After receiving the complaint, police has registered a complaint against 16 members of the village and assured that fair probe will be initiated in the matter. Police have been deployed in the area to avoid any untoward incident. Due to police's interference, the children were also allowed to attend school.

According to police, "A case has been registered against 16 people of the village. A fair investigation will be conducted."

However, the Rajpurohit families have denied for such allegations.

Reacting on the issue, Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab C Kataria told ANI that action will be taken against those found guilty in the case.

"In law, everyone is allowed to live by their rights and if anyone has barred a person of their fundamental rights then I will take action against them," Kataria said.