Dalit Couple Stopped to Enter Temple: A man, claiming to be possessed by a deity, allegedly scolded a Dalit couple from entering a temple in Karnataka’s Tumkur, about 70 kms away from Bengaluru. The incident occurred when a newly married Dalit couple visited the Arasamma Temple in the village. According to the complaint, some upper-caste villagers allegedly behaved as if Dalits were not allowed inside the temple premises. The couple was humiliated and forced to leave.
According to the complaint, the accused identified as Narayanappa, acted aggressively when the couple came to the temple. In the video recorded by one of the devotees present there, showed the accused standing in the middle of the corridor, blocking the pathway for the couple. He also yelled at the couple, while pretending to be possessed to chase away the couple.
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The incident upset the couple. Following which, a resident named Jagadish approached the police and lodged a complaint. Police have registered a case at the Turuvekere Police Station under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. An FIR has been filed against Narayanappa and others involved in the incident.
“To our shock, Narayanappa (the agriculturist) stopped us from entering the temple. When we questioned him, he acted as if he was possessed by god and spoke in a strange voice. He directed us to go out of the temple as we belonged to a lower caste. Also, we were told to pay up for cleansing the temple,” Jagadeesh told police.
Police have arrested Narayanappa, who is accused of leading the act of forcing the Dalit family out of the temple. Investigation is underway.
Dalit Woman Stripped, Accused Sentenced to Jail
In a separate case, a local court in Belagavi, Karnataka, on Wednesday sentenced 12 people to five years of rigorous imprisonment for the brutal assault of a 42-year-old Dalit woman in December 2023. The woman was stripped, paraded naked, tied to an electric pole, and publicly assaulted in Hosa Vantamuri village after her 24-year-old son eloped with an 18-year-old woman from the same tribal community, reported The Indian Express. The victim’s in-laws opposed the relationship, citing the man’s family was not “affluent” and his father was an “outsider.”
