Abhishek Kumar Dash is a Community Correspondent from Nuapada district, Odisha. His dream was to become an engineer. Though he enrolled in a B.Sc. program, he was forced to drop out halfway through, as his family faced dire financial circumstances. He then started and gave up a successful business, to become a social activist because he felt the need for…

Abhishek Dash

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Imagine being sent to jail because someone wanted a piece of your land; imagine being embroiled in a long legal battle to keep what is yours to begin with.

Community Correspondent Abhishek Kumar Dash shares the harrowing story of Hurdanand Tandi from tukula village in nuapada,Odisha. A Dalit, Hrudanand and his family had been repeatedly harassed by the hands of ‘upper-caste’ goons for some time. The events culminated in him being arrested on false charges in January 2014; Hrudanand says this happened because people from the ‘upper caste’ want to take over his cultivable land.

The Tandi family's story is not a one off incident. Even in 21st Century India, being Dalit leaves people vulnerable to such affronts from 'upper caste' communities. The crimes go unreported and un-punished. But till when?

Abhishek Dash's detailed video unearths a series of legal violations that have taken place in the case. The case continues to be fought draining the family of their already meagre income. Abhishek reports with the hope that the story will not get lost and that eventually, justice will stand by the Tandi family.

This human rights day we ask you to pledge your support to Hrudanand. We ask you also to stand up with Dalits everywhere. Caste-based discrimination must stop.

About the VV-Bloomberg Project: This video is a part of a special collaboration between Video Volunteers, a leading community media organization & Bloomberg, which is the premier source for global business and financial information. During this special mentoring project, five Bloomberg reporters became coaches to twelve of VV's IndiaUnheard Community Correspondents to help them produce videos on a variety of social issues. This is a one of its kind project where Bloomberg coaches, who have several years of experience working in mainstream media will share their expertise with trained grassroots journalists currently working to highlight the stories of their media dark villages. Each side will get refreshing new perspectives making for stronger journalism.