MP: Dalit sarpanch wins over upper caste lobby, gets nod for school

Dalit woman sarpanch of Puravaskalan village in Morena, Badami Devi, won her fight against upper caste lobby which was opposed to opening a middle school in Harijan basti. The school's construction began on Wednesday.

Updated on: Dec 11, 2014, 21:33:14 IST

Hindustan Times | By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

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Dalit woman sarpanch of Puravaskalan village in Morena district, Badami Devi, finally won her fight against upper caste lobby which was opposed to opening of a middle school in Harijan basti. The construction of the school on a five-bigha of land began on Wednesday, claimed the sarpanch.

Puravaskalan-sarpanch-Badami-Devi-along-with-villagers-leads-a-torch-rally-at-Morena-HT-photo

Badami Devi had been fighting for the construction of the middle school for the past two years as the land is located in the Harijan basti where upper caste lobby did not want to send their children for studies.

After HT reported on October 3, the gram sabha had sent a proposal to the district administration for the allotment of land but on November 28 some people beat up the sarpanch’s husband Chinmay Jatav and his supporters.

On the same day, Sehonia police station in-charge OP Chanderiya called Chinmay Jatav and said tehsildar had ordered to hold the gram sabha’s decision of construction of school.

Badami Devi and others sat on a dharna at the collectorate. Activist Jayant Singh said the administration was supporting the upper caste lobby. “The fight was not only for the construction of school, this was also against social evil of untouchability,” he added.

Collector has given a written assurance to sarpanch that she could start the construction work and land would be allotted for the school within a week. Collector Shilpa Gupta said she had ordered tehsildar to give a report on land for construction of middle school.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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