Vikrant Shekhawat : Sep 22, 2021, 10:57 AM
Koppal (Karnataka): Parents of a Dalit boy in Miyapura village near Hanumasagar in Karnataka's Koppal district were fined Rs 23,000 after their 2-year-old son went to Hanuman temple to seek God's blessings. The child was taken to Hanuman temple by his father on his birthday. Since Dalits are not allowed inside the temple here, they always used to stand in front of the temple and pray from outside.The father along with his son wanted to pray to God from outside. However, in excitement the child ran inside the temple and prayed to the Lord and came back. The incident happened on 4 September. After this incident it became a big issue and upper caste villagers considered the entry of Dalit boy in the temple as impure. He held a meeting on September 11 and asked the parents to pay a fine of Rs 23,000, which would be used for purification in the temple.
However, after the district administration came to know about the incident, officials of the police, revenue and social welfare departments have been sent to the village. The authorities have organized awareness programs regarding discrimination for all the villagers. The authorities tasked upper caste members to fine the parents of the Dalit boy and warned that legal action would be initiated if they repeated the same.
Koppal Superintendent of Police T. Sridhar told IANS that he visited the spot. The culprits have been warned. He has apologized to the boy's father. Although the police went to the victim's house to persuade her to file a complaint, the elders of the community decided not to do so, as it would create enmity. “The upper caste people themselves opposed the action of their community members and apologized to the family of the Dalit boy,” he said.
However, after the district administration came to know about the incident, officials of the police, revenue and social welfare departments have been sent to the village. The authorities have organized awareness programs regarding discrimination for all the villagers. The authorities tasked upper caste members to fine the parents of the Dalit boy and warned that legal action would be initiated if they repeated the same.
Koppal Superintendent of Police T. Sridhar told IANS that he visited the spot. The culprits have been warned. He has apologized to the boy's father. Although the police went to the victim's house to persuade her to file a complaint, the elders of the community decided not to do so, as it would create enmity. “The upper caste people themselves opposed the action of their community members and apologized to the family of the Dalit boy,” he said.