Dalits denied water; seven arrested

Sambalpur, Sep 24 (UNI) Seven women were arrested by the Kuchinda police on charges of preventing the Dalit women in their village from drawing water.

According to police, the incident took place at Chandanimal village under tribal-dominated Kuchinda sub-division, about 70 km from here.

A group of dalit women in the village were denied to draw water by other women of the village. Police, on being informed about the incident, arrived at the village and arrested the seven women yesterday.

They were later forwarded to the court.

Police said the village has only one well in the Harijan para of Chandanimal, the only source of drinking water for the entire residents.

Yesterday, one Indumati Kansari and her supporters in the para prevented other women from drawing water from the well. They even threw the buckets of the women.

Irked at the action of the women, the villagers brought the matter to the notice of the local police, who swung into action and arrested seven women.

The situation in the village was still tense but well under control. Senior police officials were keeping a string vigil on the incident.

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