A Dalit family in Madhya Pradesh’s Seoni district was allegedly prevented from offering prayers at a public Durga Puja pandal, triggering widespread condemnation after a video of the incident surfaced on social media.
The incident occurred in Sadak Seoni village under the jurisdiction of Chhapara police station. Shyamlal Ahirwar, a daily wage labourer, reported that he and his family were verbally abused and denied entry at the pandal on Wednesday evening.
According to Ahirwar, local residents not only refused to accept his donation at the pandal but also hurled caste-based slurs. “After returning from work, I was stopped by Meharban Singh Thakur, who accused me of filing complaints against him. Later, when I went to the pandal, Naresh Thakur and Narayan Yadav refused my offering and insulted us with caste abuses. When my nephew tried to donate, they pushed him off the stage,” he alleged as per the report of the Observer Post.
Footage from the scene shows an elderly man brandishing a stick and seemingly threatening the family. The video, now widely shared online, has reignited debate over caste-based discrimination in rural India.
Seoni Superintendent of Police Sunil Mehta confirmed that an FIR has been registered against three individuals named in the complaint. “The case is being investigated, and arrests will follow,” he stated.
The incident has drawn sharp reactions online, with many users decrying the continued marginalisation of Dalit communities in religious and public spaces.
