Dalit officer denied drinking water by village head, upper-caste public servant in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi

Kaushambi: A deputy chief veterinary officer was allegedly denied drinking water in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district because of her Dalit identity, officials said on Wednesday. The incident happened on Tuesday in Ambawa Poorab village in Manjhanpur block, 167 kilometres from Lucknow. The officer, Dr Seema, said on Wednesday that she had gone to the village on the directions of the district panchayat raj officer to review developmental works. As there was no water in her bottle, Seema had asked the village pradhan, Shiv Sampat Pasi, and village development officer, Ravi Dutt Mishra, for water. She alleged that both of them refused to give her water as she was a Dalit. She added that when she sought water from the villagers, the two allegedly gestured them not to give water to her. When contacted, District Magistrate Manish Verma said, “We have taken cognizance of the incident after the officer lodged a written complaint. Superintendent of police has been asked to probe the matter.”