It may sound unbelievable that even at a time when the entire world is in the grip of a pandemic some people still have time for untouchability! Police in Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh has filed an FIR against a man who is lodged in a quarantine centre for allegedly refusing to eat food cooked by a Dalit.

BCCL/ REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

The man, identified as Seraj Ahmad, a native of Bhujouli Khurd village of the district had returned to the village from Delhi where he used to work in a factory on March 29. Though he had not shown any symptoms of COVID-19, he along with four others were placed in a quarantine facility which was set up in a primary school in the village, PTI has reported.



But on April 10, the village head, Lilawati Devi, who is a Dalit, went to the quarantine centre and prepared food for the five people lodged there as the cook was absent. However, Ahmad refused to have the food cooked by her, allegedly for Devi being a Dalit.

BCCL

The Telegraph reported that two of those housed in the quarantine centre refused to eat the food and went to their homes and came back after having meals there.



This is a blatant violation of self-isolation norms under which any person who is under observation for COVID-19 is barred from meeting others, including their family to avoid the risk of spreading the virus.

Later, Devi informed Sub-Divisional Magistrate Deshdeepak Singh and Block Development Officer Ramakant about the incident. She lodged a police complaint on Sunday, they added. Station House Officer (SHO) Khadda police station R K Yadav said a case has been filed against Ahmad under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Following the incident, Vijay Dubey the local MLA went to the house of Devi on Sunday evening and asked her to serve him food cooked by her. “Untouchability is a social evil that cannot be tolerated at any cost”, the MLA said.

Uttar Pradesh has so far recorded a total of 558 COVID-19 cases out of which 504 are under treatment.

BCCL

Following the lockdown which was announced last month, the state saw a massive influx of migrant workers from cities like Delhi, which triggered fears of the infection spreading rapidly. This had forced the state authorities to place everyone who had recently returned to the state in isolation, irrespective of them showing any symptoms.



