Telangana dalit family faces social boycott for not playing 'traditional drum' at funeral; 19 held

HYDERABAD: The local police arrested 19 people, including panchayat members, from Gowthojiguda village in Telangana's Medak district — about 30 km from Hyderabad — for allegedly subjecting a Madiga (Dalit) family to social boycott. Cops said that the boycott came into force on Sept 10 after the family -- living in the village for over 35 years -- decided to discontinue the ancient Dappu-playing ritual, much to the displeasure of village elders.
Traditionally, people from Telangana's Madiga community have been engaged to play the Dappu at funerals and other village festivals.The traditional drum is considered an integral part of these ceremonies, usually untouched by upper castes. While the practice still continues in certain parts of rural Telangana, many from the Madiga community are now shunning the old ways.
"Not only did they ostracise us but even warned others in the village against associating with us. They were threatened with a fine of Rs 5,000," alleged Panchami Chandram who holds a MCom degree and works for a major private company in Medchal.
He and Panchami Arjun – an MSc in organic chemistry from JNTU, Hyderabad – are sons of Panchami Shankaraiah who died in 2015. After that, the two brothers started to distance themselves from the Dappu culture. The four daughters of the family are married and live away.
Recalling the ordeal post boycott, Arjun said that the family had to go without water for 15 days while the local kirana store refused to let them buy ration. Even their mother, P Narsamma, wasn't spared from this. "We had to travel to nearby towns to buy groceries and essentials. Worse, everyone we knew for the past three decades broke all ties with us," Narsamma said.
But despite the tension in the village, the brothers stood their ground. "Apart from being pressed for time, we also moved away from this ritual because we think it is extremely regressive and treats us as inferiors. In today's day and age, when we have jobs in the corporate world, it is extremely unfair," said Arjun, employed as a chemist with a company in Medchal.
According to the two brothers, the relationship between them and the village elders turned bitter when they refused to play the Dappu for the funeral of two members of the Mudiraj community. "It was after that, that the community members convened a panchayat on Sept 10 to discuss it," said Chandram. During the meeting, the elders verbally abused the brothers, the duo claimed. "They told us, no matter how educated or well employed we get, we will always remain Madigas and must stay under their feet," Arjun added. The panchayat passed a resolution to boycott the family the same day.
Eventually, unable to bear the injustice, the brothers approached the police last week and filed a complaint against the accused.
"Following the complaint, we have arrested 19 individuals and are still searching for 14 who were involved in enforcing the boycott. This incident highlights the persistence of caste-based discrimination which is illegal under the Prevention of Atrocities Act. Our investigation in the case is underway," said an officer from Manoharabad police station.