Summary:
Chandigarh, Oct 14 (PTI) Twenty-three people, including a former sarpanch, have been booked for allegedly socially boycotting Scheduled Caste members of Chhatar village in Jind"s Uchana sub-division, police said on Thursday.
Some Dalit families from the village alleged that the members of a dominant caste gave a call for their social boycott to build pressure on them to withdraw a case against a member of their community.
They said that three weeks ago, some upper caste youths beat up a Dalit youth over some argument related to a Kabbadi match in the village.
Police said they arrested a person after filing a case under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on the victim"s complaint.
The families claimed that the call was given after some upper caste people called a panchayat recently and added that they were not able to get essential items or go to their fields due to the alleged boycott.
About 150-200 Dalit families live in the village.