By SANTOSH MOHANTY
Members of Dalit communities in Kuio Jungle under Banarpal block in Angul district in Odisha alleged that mafias have usurped their land in connivance with influential persons who have good rapport with revenue officials. Over 45 people belonging to Dalit families have alleged that most of their landholdings are leased out to influential persons who are rich and powerful and connected with the corridor of power. Mithun Behera, Prashant Behera and Kanhu Charan Behera who organized a rally participated by the affected families to protest against the injustice urged revenue officials in Angul district to take action against the mafia. They said they will resort to agitation if the administration delays action.
There are reports that members of Dalit community in Angul have been facing discrimination on the basis of their caste like other regions of Odisha. We are living in the 21st century but the position of Dalits in our society is no better than what it was during the pre-independence days in our country, social activists working for uplift of Dalits and marginalized communities in Angul district opined. The activists said industrialization has further worsened their situation as people from upper caste try to takeover the landed property of Dalits by influencing them in various ways. They are punished in Kangaroo courts for negligible offences or banished from the society, they said and added that their only fault is that they belong to a lower caste strata. They are subjected to inhuman treatment and violence on the slightest pretext, the social activists added.
The most recent example of atrocities against Dalits is Dharakote incident in Ganjam district in Odisha. The incident has shocked everybody in the state how two persons from Dalit community were scandalized in public. Media reports said both of them were subjected to inhuman treatment by forcing to drink sewerage water. The media reports also said that one's head was half tonsured and face blemished with black colour. Meanwhile, Convenor of Odisha BJD SC Cell Mahesh Sahu, has written to the Director General of Police to take immediate action against the perpetrators who have committed heinous crime in Dharakote in Ganjam district.
This is a common practice among the upper classes to deny land rights to Dalits in most parts of the country. Dalit communities in Angul district continue to face hardships due to massive industrialization. A number of open cast coal mines have already eaten up their land and most of them fail to get due compensation in the form of money or employment. Industrialization has thrown a massive challenge to their survival as mafia are eyeing to usurp their land and sell at a exorbitant prices to prospective buyers to make huge profits.
