Exactly a month after Bharatiya Janata Party State president B.S. Yeddyurappa had breakfast in a Dalit’s colony at Tattekere near here, purportedly to drive home a message against the practice of untouchability, the village is in news for “upper” caste people allegedly stopping Dalits from offering prayers to a deity.
Three Dalits were allegedly assaulted by four people from the “upper” caste as the former tried to offer puja to an idol of Maramma, the deity, on Saturday evening. The residents of Dalit colony staged a protest in the village on Sunday, prompting police officers to rush to the spot.
Mari Habba is held once in three years and as part of the festival, an idol of the deity is carried to all streets so that residents can offer puja.
According to Manjunath, the complainant, the “upper” caste people assaulted him, his wife Divya and another person Pandu when they wanted to offer prayers to the deity. Mr. Manjunath has complained to the Hassan Rural Police against four persons identified as Papanna, Dharma, Manju and Dharma.
Leaders of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti and Dalit Hakkugala Samiti joined the protest on Sunday. Bhagya, a resident of the Dalit colony, said: “I was born into an upper caste family and married a Dalit. Here, Dalits are not allowed to offer prayers and not allowed to enter the temple,” she told mediapersons.
The police have registered a case under sections of the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, besides relevant sections of the IPC.
Following the protest, Hassan Deputy Superintendent of Police Shashidhar and officers of the Social Welfare Department visited the village and spoke to both the groups. The police had taken four persons for inquiry and they were let off later.
Mr. Shashidhar told The Hindu: “A section of the people is of the view that outsiders are causing disturbances in the village. We have deployed policemen in the village.”