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After the story was published, the state government swung into action and Sub District Magistrate B R Diwedi and Deputy Superintendent of Police Shiv Raj were sent to the village to restore water supply to the Dalits. This eastern district is the stronghold of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). All the five Ambedkarnagar legislators are from the BSP and three of them are Cabinet ministers. It was also Mayawati’s constituency when she was the Member of Parliament. Yet, the upper caste could impose a ban on the Dalits, preventing them from drawing water from the government tubewell to irrigate their fields.
Manoj Mishra, a human right activist in Ambedkarnagar, who had highlighted the issue at various levels, said, “Our struggle got strengthened when The Indian Express supported our cause.”
DSP Shivraj, who has been camping in the village from the last three days, said, “In future, the upper caste will refrain from acting like dictators.” He added that the keys of tubewell, which were in the possession of the upper caste for the last six months, have been handed over to the Dalits. SDM B R Diwedi said, “Along with restoring water supply to the Dalits, we are also restoring them their lands which were encroached by the upper caste people.”
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