Musahars are one of the most marginalised and oppressed communities found in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Under the social system of India, Musahars are considered one of the lowest and are not allowed to mix with members of other communities.
In a case of caste-based discrimination from the Chanpura village in Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi district, Musahars were prevented from pumping water from a handpump that lies with other communities of the same village. The Musahars also allege physical violence and harrassment at the hands of members of other communities. The handpump that was used by Musahars has been non-functional for over a month but nothing has been done to repair it and that is the reason they had to go to other communities' water source.
"We are so desperate for water we might start drinking from the drains," said Madhuri Devi, one of the residents of Chanpura village who spoke to our Community Correspondent (CC) Shabnam Begum.
When Shabnam spoke to the sarpanch of the panchayat under which this village comes, he assured of speedy action in getting the handpump repaired. Our CC Shabnam will work with the community to create an impact and get Musahars handpump repaired.
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Avijit Adhikary is a journalist with nearly 8000 days of field experience till date. In the past two decades, he has witnessed the ebb and flow of the media industry in India, with ripples felt in his region too. This includes the rise of digital media, the decline of print...
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