Bhopal: An RSS Swayamsevak in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district has been subjected to social boycott for defying untouchability by sharing a meal at a Dalit household, even as intense social pressure was mounted to force him into “penance”.
Bharat Raj Dhakad, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh karyakarta from Pipariya Puaria village, ate at the home of Santosh Parole, a Dalit resident, during a shraddha ceremony along with two other friends. A video of the meal went viral, triggering opposition from sections of the village. Subsequently, a panchayat meeting was convened under sarpanch Bhagwan Singh Patel, where a diktat was issued branding the act as a “sin” and ordering ritual “purification”, including bathing in the Ganga and organising a public bhandara.
While Dhakad’s companions accepted the panchayat’s order under pressure, Bharat Raj Dhakad refused to comply, terming the diktat unconstitutional, illegal and contrary to basic human dignity. He asserted that the RSS does not believe in the notion of untouchability and that he would not participate in any act that legitimises caste discrimination.
His refusal has resulted in a social boycott of his family. Dhakad’s father, Niranjan Singh, is reportedly excluded from village functions, subjected to taunts, and treated with humiliation by fellow villagers. Despite approaching the police, the family found no relief, prompting Dhakad to raise the issue before District Collector Arun Kumar Vishwakarma during a public hearing, seeking immediate administrative intervention.
The striking incident shows how an RSS Swayamsevak chooses to stand by the organisation’s long-stated belief in social harmony and equality, even at personal cost, by resisting pressure to conform to regressive customs.
