Mumbai: On February 5, 2026, the village of Soundala in Ahilyanagar district, Maharashtra, convened a special Gram Sabha. But before the proceedings could commence, Sarpanch Sharadrao Argade decided to organise a voluntary blood donation camp. More than 200 participated.As the camp concluded and the villagers assembled for the Sabha, Argade addressed the crowd with words that cut through divisions and resonated deeply: “Our blood is not green or blue. It is simply red. And once it mixes, no one can ever separate it again.” In that single, stirring statement, he had set a tone for the rest of the meeting.Gram Sabha held in Soundala village. Photo: By arrangement.At the Gram Sabha, Argade proposed to declare Soundala a “caste-free” village. Argade was fully aware that in a graded society, getting rid of caste wasn’t an easy feat. “But in my three tenure as Sarpanch of the village, I have had deep and consistent engagement with the villagers. I felt confident,” Argade said. And as he had anticipated, a special resolution was passed. The gathering, composed of people from across savarna and Bahujan castes, even a few Muslims, voted unanimously in its favour.The resolution, worded in Marathi, starts by invoking the Constitution of India and the Preamble, which focuses on Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. “From now onwards, in Soundala village, no one will follow caste or indulge in any form of caste practices. Instead, humanity is the only religion that the villagers will follow,” the resolution states.The resolution passed by the Gram Sabha. Photo: By arrangement.Ahilyanagar, erstwhile Ahmednagar, a district in western Maharashtra has had a long history of caste atrocities and communal disharmony. The district has witnessed several brutal cases, including killings of Dalit youths in the name of “honour”– the 2013 Sonai triple murder, the 2014 Javkhede triple murder, and the 2014 Kharda honour killing of a 17-year-old Dalit youth. For years, the district has remained in the “Atrocity Prone District” list.Argade says Soundala too has had a violent history. “We have had cases of caste violence in the village. Have even had cases registered under the Atrocities Act,” he shares. But as social sensitisation of the villagers intensified, the cases came down too drastically, Argade said. “Today, you will see people visiting each other’s house, attending functions and standing by each other at the time of difficulty,” he says.But does the village have instances of inter-caste, inter-religion marriage yet? “No. But a resolution like this can only encourage different communities to move in that direction,” Argade said confidently.The resolution makes provisions for penalty for any behaviour that goes against the ethos of the Constitution. “The villagers are fully aware that if they want to continue to live here, they will have to abide by the rules. And these rules are in no way in contravention of the country’s laws and the Constitution. So, its implementation is not difficult,” Argade says.Gram Sabha held in Soundala village. Photo: By arrangement.This is not the first time that Soundala village passed a socially aware resolution. Before this, several resolutions, specifically about gender sensitivity, have been passed. Banning child marriage, allowing remarriage of widowed women, action against domestic violence and dowry, provisions ensuring girls continue with higher education and increasing women’s participation in political and social activities in the village are some of the resolutions passed in the past.The decision to declare Soundala “caste-free” came against the backdrop of the protests that took off against UGC regulations aimed at addressing rampant suicide cases in universities and other educational spaces. The savarna animosity toward Bahujans in these protests was palpable. Argade said, “The ruling parties want to keep the nation divided along binaries – as Hindus and Muslims, as upper and lower castes. We are trying to address simply that at a very small, village level.”