SP chief slams caste discrimination against Yadav preacher in Etawah
SP chief slams caste discrimination against Yadav preacher in Etawah
M.U.H
24/06/202520
Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav has strongly condemned an incident in Etawah where a Yadav Kathavachak or religious storyteller, was allegedly assaulted and humiliated by members of a dominant caste for conducting a Bhagwat Katha.
“These people want to preserve their monopoly over religious affairs,” Yadav said, referring to the accused. “If people of all castes are allowed to listen to the Bhagwat Katha, why can’t they also narrate it? If a true devotee of Krishna is prevented from reciting the Katha due to caste, it is a grave insult to society.”
Addressing the media in Lucknow on Tuesday, Yadav further said, “If this is the prevailing mindset, then those from dominant castes should publicly declare that they will not accept donations or offerings from the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak—Backward, Dalit, and Minority) communities for religious purposes.”
According to reports, the incident took place in Dadrapur village under the jurisdiction of Bakewar police station in Etawah district on June 22. The victim, Mukutmani Singh Yadav, a resident of Kanpur currently living in Etawah’s Civil Lines, was allegedly assaulted by a group of Brahmin men. His head was forcibly shaved, and he was publicly humiliated for conducting a religious discourse in the village.
Yadav accused the BJP government of fostering an environment where such caste-based discrimination thrives.
“The BJP government is heartless and undemocratic. If decisions were made in accordance with the Constitution and the ideals of Babasaheb Ambedkar, the poor, villagers, and minorities would get the respect they deserve. But under the BJP, the PDA communities are continuously insulted and denied justice,” he alleged.
He added, “If a PDA individual enters a temple, it is washed with Ganga water. The dominant castes feel emboldened by their proximity to power. This fight for equality and dignity in society will go on.”
Yadav also met the victims at the SP office and extended financial assistance. He gave Rs 21,000 to each of the two narrators and announced that the Samajwadi Party would provide Rs 51,000 more to each of them as a gesture of support.
The victim alleged that around 50 people, led by Pappu Baba, who had organised the seven-day religious event, beat him with shoes, forcibly tonsured his head, and made him bow to the footwear of villagers. A woman devotee was also reportedly humiliated by being forced to rub her nose on his feet.
The incident came to public attention after a video of the assault went viral on social media, sparking outrage and renewed debates over caste discrimination in religious spaces.
