Bolangir: Water and electricity services were cut off in a Dalit settlement, with residents alleging caste-based discrimination in Odisha’s Balangir district. However, a village official attributed the disruption to a local feud.
The settlement is located in the Dumerchuan village under the Turekela block of the district, and its residents reported that the drinking water supply in their area has been interrupted since February 12. According to local media, the settlement’s streetlights were also turned off, leaving families to struggle in the dark after sunset.
The residents claimed that different areas of the village have faced no such disruption. “Houses in other parts of the village continue to receive water and electricity, but we are being deprived,” a local said.
They were even stopped from drawing water from the borewell. “When we tried to draw water from the borewell, we were stopped. While commuting on village roads, we are treated as untouchables by members of other communities,” the resident said.
The Dalits claimed that their community was being targeted due to their caste, since they face discrimination in other social and cultural events of the village as well. Despite alerting the officials of the issues, no steps were taken to correct the disruptions, they said.
Disruption due to enmity between two local groups
A village official, Padamanava Samantaray, dismissed claims of caste-based discrimination, stating that the initial investigation pointed towards a “feud.” An inquiry has been ordered, and the block development officer was directed to investigate at the ground level, Samantaray said.
“Preliminary probe suggested that a few days ago, there was a feud between two groups of the village during a baraat procession. One group deliberately disrupted the water supply and electricity out of revenge,” he said.
