Residents of Hosuru village in Pattikonda mandal of the district allegedly hurled stones at the police on Sunday night after the police tried to disperse the crowd that was participating in ‘Peerla Panduga’ (Muharram) rituals. The incident happened as the villagers allegedly refused to include Dalits in the ritual, and the police intervened to avoid any untoward incident.
Y. Madhu, a resident of Hosuru, told The Hindu that ‘Peerla Panduga’ was a secular event, and people from all religions and castes took part in the ritual — where they dance around a pit of fire. “The event sees involvement of people from all religions,” he said.
However, Dalits have allegedly not been allowed to participate in this ritual since the beginning. This year, young educated Dalits demanded that they be allowed to participate in the ritual. “These demands were not accepted by the ‘caste Hindus’ and Muslims,” said Mr. Madhu.
Stone-throwing
An eyewitness to the incident, P. Mallikarjuna, said the police intervened while the ritual was being performed by “caste Hindus” and Muslims. The police, to avoid a confrontation between the two groups, tried to disperse the mob. Angered with the police action, some people allegedly threw stones at the police, causing minor injuries to some personnel.
Kurnool Superintendent of Police K. Fakeerappa said both the communities approached revenue and police officials seeking permission to conduct the event. “Rather than creating issues, the police intervened to disperse the crowd,” he said.