After we all thought that the caste system in India has been forgotten, “upper caste” landlords are still ensuring that this crime continues through the generations in Mahsing.

Mahsing is a small village in the Sangrur district of Punjab where te society is still dreaded by the evil caste system. Dalits belonging to this village work in farms for the landlords and have been shunned by them and boycotted. And the good reason the landlords state is because they demanded for the wages they earned.

A new rule in the village was issues after the incident saying that anyone seen helping or even merely interacting with the dalits would have to pay Rs 5000 as a fine.

These dalits, approximately 350 of them in the village, have no sources of income after they have been shunned in the village. And what makes the situation worse is they are not sold any gorceries or anything in the village.

“Shopkeepers have been ordered not to sell anything to us. We have to purchase our food and every basic need only outside the village, including milk”, woed an unemployed dalit youth who now has no employment.

The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) was requested to look into this case, but he turned a deaf ear to the request. Even after a week after complaining, no enquiries have begun. The Youth Congress has threatened to go on a massive protest if there is no action taken by the government against these landlords.

AW- Anil