DSS condemns ‘purification’ ceremony at Haldwani Ramlila ground after Kharge’s rally

Dalit Sangharsha Samithi (DSS) State convener D.G. Sagar has condemned the reported purification ritual conducted at Haldwani’s Ramlila ground in Uttarakhand on August 10, two days after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public rally there.

Mr. Sagar, addressing a press conference in Kalaburagi city on Friday, said that the purification ritual performed at the Ramlila ground was not only an insult to Mr. Kharge but also to the Scheduled Caste community. He said the incident showed that caste discrimination and untouchability continued despite constitutional safeguards.

Recalling Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s Mahad Satyagraha of 1927, Mr. Sagar said that similar purification rituals were performed after Dr. Ambedkar and Dalits drank water from the Chavdar Tank. “Nearly 100 years later, if such practices are repeated, it shows that the fight against caste discrimination is not over,” he said.

Mr. Sagar said that the reported ritual at the Ramlila ground raised concerns about the constitutional values of equality and dignity; he urged Uttarakhand authorities to register cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and laws relating to untouchability, and arrest those responsible.

He warned that the Samiti would intensify its agitation across the State if action was not taken.