Caste Discrimination in Rural India: OBC Man Forced to Wash Brahmin's Feet as Punishment

A video showing Parshottam Kushwaha washing Annu Pandey's feet has become viral across social media platforms.

Bhopal:

A disturbing incident of caste discrimination has emerged from Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district, where a young man was allegedly forced to wash a Brahmin man's feet and drink the water as punishment for "insulting" him. The video documenting this act has triggered widespread outrage. Interestingly, both individuals involved have since minimized the incident and criticized attempts to "politicize" the matter.

Authorities have filed a police case under multiple sections, including provisions related to acts prejudicial to harmony between different communities. This legal action follows a complaint submitted by a member of the Kushwaha community.

The incident involved Parshottam Kushwaha, who belongs to an Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, being compelled to wash the feet of Annu Pandey, a Brahmin, and drink the water while villagers watched. Additionally, Kushwaha was fined Rs 5,100 and made to publicly apologize to the Brahmin community.

The situation originated from a local dispute in Sataria village, where both men reside. The village had implemented a liquor prohibition. Despite this ban, Annu Pandey allegedly continued selling alcohol. When discovered, villagers punished him by requiring a public apology and imposing a Rs 2,100 fine, which Pandey accepted.

The conflict escalated when Parshottam reportedly created and shared an AI-generated image showing Annu wearing a shoe garland. Although he deleted the post quickly and apologized, some interpreted the action as disrespectful to the Brahmin community, adding caste dimensions to what began as a village dispute.

Local sources report that members of the Brahmin community gathered and demanded Parshottam "atone" for his actions. Under community pressure, the young man was subjected to the humiliating ritual of washing Annu's feet, drinking that water, and apologizing to the entire community. The troubling footage shows Parshottam kneeling while washing Annu's feet.

Following the video's widespread circulation, both men attempted to downplay the controversy.

"I made a mistake and have apologized. Annu Pandey is my family's guru. Please don't make this political," Parshottam stated in a video appeal, requesting authorities remove the viral footage from the internet. Similarly, Annu Pandey characterized it as a "mutual" issue that had been resolved. "Some people are politicizing this. There's a guru-disciple relationship between us. I didn't humiliate him. It was voluntary."

Despite these attempts to normalize the incident, the footage clearly illustrates caste hierarchy deeply embedded in rural India's social structures.