BHOPAL – A village sarpanch in Madhya Pradesh has alleged that he wasn’t allowed to unfurl the Tricolour on the occasion of the Republic Day because he belongs to a Dalit family.
The alleged incident took place in Tarena village panchayat under Biaora tehsil of Rajgarh district on Friday, following which Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh alleged the sarpanch faced discrimination for being a Dalit.
Later, Man Singh Verma also lodged a complaint against rojgar sahayak (employment assistant) Lakhan Singh Sondhia at Janpad Panchayat in Biaora. Subsequently, the action was initiated against Sondhia.
“Despite being village sarpanch, I wasn’t invited to unfurl the Tricolour on the Republic Day. It was done because I belong to a Dalit family,” Verma said in short video clip.
“Is it a crime to be a Scheduled Caste? Does the Sarpanch not have the right to hoist the flag in the Panchayat Bhawan? I request the Chief Minister that such guilty Employment Assistant Lakhan Singh should be immediately suspended and action should be taken under ST/SC Act,” Digvijaya Singh has posted a message on his social media account.
Rajgarh district administration on Saturday removed Lakhan Singh Sondhia from rojgar sahayak post.
However, it’s not the first time such an incident was reported in Madhya Pradesh. Earlier, on August 15 last year, a Sarpanch in Vidisha district had alleged that he was not allowed to unfurl the national flag at a school on the Independence Day and was subjected to caste-based abuses by the school principal, officials said. -IANS
