Man in UP's Kushinagar booked for refusing meal cooked by Dalit village head

An FIR was lodged against a man in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district on Monday for allegedly refusing to eat food cooked by a Dalit village head at a quarantine centre, police said.

The man was identified as Seraj Ahmad, a native of Bhujouli Khurd village of the district. He and four others are lodged at a quarantine centre set up in a primary school in the village, they said.

Ahmad returned to the village from Delhi on March 29 and has been in quarantine at the centre, the police said.

On April 10, the village head, Lilawati Devi, who is a Dalit, went to the quarantine centre and prepared food for the five people lodged there as the cook was absent. However, Ahmad refused to have the food cooked by her, they said.

Later, Devi informed Sub-Divisional Magistrate Deshdeepak Singh and Block Development Officer Ramakant about the incident. She lodged a police complaint on Sunday, they added.

Station House Officer (SHO) Khadda police station R K Yadav said a case has been filed against Ahmad under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

BJP MLA Vijay Dubey visited Devi's house on Sunday and asked her to serve him food cooked by her.

He said untouchability is a social evil and it can't be tolerated at any cost.