Daijiworld Media Network - Kalaburagi (SP)

Kalaburagi, Sep 8: The water in a well at Channur in Jewargi taluk in the district has been purposefully made impossible to consume by adding poisonous substances to it. It is being alleged that upper caste people have turned the water of the said well poisonous with the sole objective of forcing Dalits to stay away from using this well.

The complaint about poisoning came up about a week ago. Chairman of Karnataka State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, A Muniyappa, during his visit to the village on Thursday September 7 to verify the facts, asked the district administration to take over the well.

The well is located in agricultural land owned by a person from lower cast, Amalappa Maang, a Dalit. Amalappa had leased out this land to a local man from upper caste, Gollalappa Gowda Kukanur, a few years back. Some locals have claimed that after the land was leased out, people have been doing one thing or the other to stop Dalits from using this well.

On August 31 this year, a local Dalit named Mahantappa, who went to the well to collect water, saw that an oily layer was floating over the well water. He sensed danger and immediately alerted villagers against using water from this well.

Tahsildar of Jewargi taluk, Yellappa Subedar, said that after he received information about contaminating of the well water, he had deputed a team to empty the well water. He added that officials of the health department who collected water sample from the well, got it tested and realized that it contained endosulftan, a banned insecticide. The police however, are still awaiting a report from forensic science laboratory to which samples of water were handed over.

A case of attempt to murder stands filed relating to this incident. Another case under Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was filed against Golalappa Gowda Kukanur who has taken the land in question on lease.

Reports claim that in the past, carcasses of animals like dogs, cats,snakes etc were often thrown into the well in question and that they know that these were deliberate attempts to keep away Dalits from using water from this well.