Meher women block road, demand release of upper caste men
PTI | 07:01 PM,Jan 24,2012Bolangir (Odisha), Jan 24 (PTI) Tension prevailed at Lathore village here today with women belonging to upper caste Mehers staging a road blockade demanding release of men arrested on charges of setting houses of Dalits on fire. Alleging that the police had been partisan while taking action in the caste clash, the women said only members of the upper caste had been arrested while no action was taken against the Dalit youths who attacked the cloth merchants. The police yesterday rounded up 42 people, including two children, on the charge of setting afire houses of Dalits. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced compensation of Rs one lakh each to the 38 Dalit families whose houses were gutted. "Compensation was announced after approval of the State Election Commission as the panchayat poll process is on," an official in the Chief Minister's Office said. While the upper caste women staged road blockade, affected Dalit families also launched hunger strike in relief camp demanding more compensation towards damage of clothes, children's study materials and other loss. Over 30 thatched houses belonging to Dalits were set afire allegedly by upper caste people at Lathore village followed a clash between two Dalit youths and as many youths of an upper caste family over an incident of theft of a shirt from a cloth store. About 120 policemen were still camping at Lathore village.
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