Karnataka: Police Take Five Into Custody After Authorities Fine Dalit Family Rs 35,000 For Entering Temple

The district administration which came to know about the development has sent police, revenue and social welfare department officials to the village

Hyderabad: Even in 2021, the dalits in hamlets of Karnataka face discrimination based on caste as they are restricted to enter temples. In one such incident, a Dalit man was asked to pay Rs 25,000 fine & Rs 10,000 for sanitizing a temple his 4-year-old son entered on his birthday at Miyapura village in Koppal "Later, elders at the village apologized & said it happened due to misunderstanding," Tehsildar Siddesh said on Tuesday.

"A case has been registered in the matter wherein a Dalit man was asked to pay Rs 25,000 fine & Rs 10,000 for sanitizing a temple after his 4-year-old son entered it at a village in Koppal. Five people have been taken into custody," said SP T Sreedhara as quoted by ANI.

The toddler was taken to the Hanuman temple by his father on his birthday. As Dalits are not allowed inside the temple, they always prayed from outside standing in front of the temple.

The father wanted to pray to the god from outside along with his son. However, the toddler in excitement ran inside the temple and prayed to the god and came back. The incident took place on September 4.

This became a big issue as upper caste villagers thought that the temple was desecrated as a Dalit boy had entered it. They held a meeting on September 11 and asked the parents to pay Rs 23,000 as fine which is going to be used to carry out purification rituals in the temple.

However, the district administration which came to know about the development has sent police, revenue and social welfare department officials to the village. The officers have conducted an awareness programme with regard to untouchability for all villagers. The officers took members of the upper caste to task for imposing a fine on the Dalit boy's parents and let them off after warning that legal action will be initiated if they repeat this.

T Sridhar, Superintendent of Police, Koppal, said that he visited the spot. The culprits were admonished. They apologised to the father of the boy. Though the police went to the house of the victim to convince him to lodge a complaint, the community elders decided not to do so as it will breed animosity.

"The people from upper caste themselves opposed the action of the members of their own community and apologized to the Dalit boy's family," he explained.

(With inputs from IANS)