Fake news of Dalit families boycotted in MP turned to be political rivalry

On 13 January, X user The Dalit Voice published a post alleging that Hindus ostracised 20 Dalit families in Madhya Pradesh for eating prasad distributed by a Dalit person. In Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district, around 20 families are facing a social boycott for accepting prasad from a Dalit man in Atrar village.” The X user cited the propaganda website Maktoob Media which also mentioned that “upper caste” families were boycotted. It read, “When news spread that upper-caste families had accepted prasad from a Dalit, the sarpanch allegedly declared a social boycott against all those who participated.” India 21st century looks like this 👇 In Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district, around 20 families are facing a social boycott for accepting prasad from a Dalit man in Atrar village. https://t.co/zBsnlJOPRj — Nadya January 13, 2025 The Dalit Voice’s Instagram account’s screenshot was shared by one Dr Sylvia Karpagam who wrote, “India’s love affair with discrimination.” There was no news report mentioned or details provided. Furthermore, Ahirwar accused Tiwari of using caste divisions to enforce the boycott and said, “We are being denied basic community interaction because of an age-old caste bias.” Police refute allegations, cite political rivalry Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Shashank Jain spoke to the media about the incident and refuted the claims, saying, “We investigated the matter by speaking to the villagers but found no evidence of such ostracisation.” The police said that the incident appeared to be a fallout of political animosity between two groups that stemmed from fiercely contested local elections.