Kendrapada: Hatred and scorn towards people of lower caste remains a bane in our society.
Even in death, they are disrespected.
A day after a Dalit man committed suicide at the premises of the district collector’s office in Odisha’s Kendrapada, a Vastu Shanti puja was performed to cleanse the area and drive away negative energy.
On Friday afternoon, 26-year-old Sricharana Das of Raitundi village hanged himself from the iron railings of the collector’s office after allegedly facing harassment in getting official permission to sell his land.
Two priests were called to perform a puja in the collector’s office. They ‘purified’ all the rooms and the area where the youth killed himself by pouring holy water.
It triggered a backlash, with some questioning why a puja was performed instead of action being taken against errant officials who had denied Sricharana the necessary permission to sell his land.
“At a time when a man ended his life due to administrative apathy, the officials are busy in correcting vastu. We condemn their action,” Sahadev Naik, a local, was quoted as saying.
Gayadhar Dhal, the secretary of CPM’s district unit, lashed out at the district administration.
“It is the first and foremost work of the authorities to take action against the officials who were responsible for his untimely death. But instead of taking steps against the officials, the administration organized a puja in the office,” said Dhal.
Raghuram Iyer, the collector of Kendrapada, admitted that a puja had been organised by the district administration, but he didn’t say that it was done because of a Dalit man’s suicide.
“Puja and other religious rituals were done to purify the building as a man had unfortunately ended his life on the office premises,” Iyer said.
He added that an investigation has been launched into the tragic incident. “We will take strict action against any official found guilty of wrongdoing and harassing the man.”
