Caste based discrimination is still active in some areas of this country and sometime it shows why it should be scrapped from everywhere. In a disturbing case that has shaken Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district, a young man from the OBC community was allegedly forced to wash the feet of a Brahmin man and drink the water as punishment for an insult to a Brahmin. A video capturing the act has gone viral, and has triggered an uproar. Yet both individuals involved have tried to downplay the incident, criticizing what they call attempts to politicize it.
Authorities have registered an FIR under multiple sections, including one addressing actions that disrupt communal harmony. The complaint was filed by a member of the Kushwaha community.
Parshottam Kushwaha, belonging to the OBC category, was reportedly made to wash the feet of Annu Pandey, a Brahmin, and drink the water publicly in front of villagers. Alongside this, he was fined Rs 5,100 and compelled to apologize to the Brahmin community.
The incident traces is related to a local dispute in Sataria village, which involves a liquor ban in the area. Annu Pandey allegedly continued selling alcohol despite this ban. Villagers initially punished him by making him apologize publicly and pay a fine of Rs 2,100, which Pandey accepted, and the case was ended at that situation.
But, the situation escalated when Parshottam reportedly shared an AI-generated image of Annu wearing a garland of shoes. Although the post was deleted within minutes and he issued an apology, the act was perceived by some as disrespectful toward the whole Brahmin community, adding a caste dimension to what had begun as a village-level dispute of alcohol ban.
Local sources say that a group from the Brahmin community then demanded that Parshottam "atone" for his actions. Under pressure, he performed the degrading ritual of washing Annu’s feet, drinking the water, and apologizing to the entire community. The unsettling video shows him kneeling while carrying out the act.
Following the video’s circulation online, both men attempted to quell the controversy.
"I made a mistake, and I have apologized. Annu Pandey is my family’s guru. Please don’t politicize this," Parshottam said in a video message, urging authorities to remove the footage from the internet. Annu Pandey also described the incident as a “mutual matter” that had been resolved. “Some people are politicizing this. There is a guru-disciple relationship between us. I did not humiliate him. It was voluntary,” he said.