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June 25, 2010
Dalits withdraw kids from school
Another compelling article.........
~Joseph
Dalits withdraw kids from school in Kendrapada village
http://www.dailypioneer.com/263528/Dalits-withdraw-kids-from-school-in-Kendrapada-village.html
Pioneer News Service | Kendrapara
The innocent Dalit children have also to bear the brunt of the ongoing tussle between their elders and the upper caste fellow villagers of Karandiapatana Jenasahi under Mehendipur GP of Marshaghai block as their parents have been forced to withdraw their children from the local school fearing the wrath of the upper caste people.
The Dalit students were allegedly abused and misbehaved by the upper caste people recently when they were crossing the village road on way to school.
Sources informed, about 20 Dalits children were forced to take their School Leaving Certificates (SLCs) from Surendra Bidyapitha of Rankal.
The Dalits alleged that their children were debarred from using the road that passed through the houses of upper caste villagers.
Notably, the Dalits are leading a socially boycotted life meted out to them by both the fellow upper caste villagers and its adjoining Rankal village for the last couple of months following a group clash over the digging of earth from a gochar land for construction of a Hanuman temple on February
18.
The police had nabbed 10 upper caste persons for allegedly creating the mayhem, ransacking the houses and injuring 23 Dalits.
Later, the upper caste of Karnadiapatana and Rankal made a decision to socially boycott the Dalits by restricting them from working in their fields. Even they were allegedly debarred from using the road in the area and were threatened with dire consequences.
The Dalit students, having taken SLCs from the Surendra Bidyapitha are said to be Rina Jena Class, I, Ritun Jena, Litu Jena and Jhunubala Jena of Class II, Pradip Jena of Class III, Hemanta Jena, Aliva Jena, Sanghamitra Jena, Purnima Jena and Puspalata Jena of Class IV, Rajalaxmi Jena of Class V, Bhajahari Jena, Tanuja Jena, Lopamudra Jena, Jyotishree Jena, Bikram Jena, Sushil Jena and Biswanath Jena of Class VI.
Some Dalit parents have taken SLCs and have reportedly started admitting their children to Japada School, one-and-half km away from the village, informed a Dalit and Karilopatana ward member Sudhanshu Jena.
When contacted, Surendra Bidyapitha teacher Khageswar Parida admitted that some Dalit students of the Jena Sahi hamlet of Karilopatana village sought SLCs to study in other schools, recently.
Recently, Jajpur MP and Dalit leader Mohan Jena visited Karandiapatana and listened to the grievances of the Dalits.
He has brought the said matter to the notice of the local Tehsildar and district administration to take necessary actions against the upper caste persons for allegedly denying the basic right to education of the Dalit children.
Meanwhile, the Dalits have brought the matter to the notice of the Patkura PS IIC for justice.
When contacted, IIC Alok Ranjan Roy stated he has been conducting investigation.
Posted by klajja at June 25, 2010 03:27 PM
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