Kanakapura: Dalits denied entry to temple; Peace meeting fails, clash erupts between two groups
Kanakapura: A peace meeting convened at the Kanakapura Taluk office to address the alleged denial of temple entry to Dalits in Kunoor village, Kasaba Hobli, ended in chaos on Thursday, leading to a clash between two groups and the matter escalating to a police complaint.
Last week, a dispute erupted in the village after Dalits were reportedly denied entry to the Basaveshwara and Maramma temples. Despite efforts by the Taluk administration, social welfare department, and police officials to hold a peace meeting and raise awareness in the village, the entry restrictions remained. This led to the authorities scheduling another meeting on Thursday.
The peace meeting, led by Tahsildar Manjunath and Circle Inspector K.L. Krishna at the Taluk office, began with a debate over temple entry rights for Dalits. Tahsildar Manjunath reiterated that every individual has the right to access temples as per the Constitution and that no one should practice untouchability or follow superstitious beliefs. However, some upper-caste leaders opposed the view, arguing that traditional practices must be maintained, and new customs should not be introduced in the village. Amidst the heated debate, several upper-caste leaders walked out of the meeting.
Dalit leaders Prashanth and Shivalingayya explained that Dalits have been denied entry to the temple in Kunoor for years. They cited an incident 15 years ago when a young Dalit accidentally touched the deity during a temple procession, which angered the villagers and led to an assault on Dalits. Since then, Dalits have been barred from participating in temple rituals during the annual fair.
Following the incomplete peace meeting, tensions flared outside the Taluk office, resulting in a verbal altercation that escalated into a clash between the two communities over temple entry rights. Police, who were aware of the situation, immediately intervened and dispersed the groups. However, Dalit leaders Srinivasamurthy, Muniyappa, Madesh, Ramu, and Pradeep expressed dissatisfaction and accused the village leaders of instigating the caste conflict.
Several village leaders, including Shivanna, Raghu Aras, Gadaraju, and Nagaraju, were present at the meeting.
Dalit leader Srinivasamurthy has lodged a complaint at the Kanakapura Town Police Station regarding the failed peace meeting and the caste clash outside the Taluk office, demanding action against the village leaders.
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Sambhal violence orchestrated by BJP, govt to divert attention from poll rigging: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday alleged the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district over the survey of a mosque was "orchestrated" by the BJP, the government and the administration "to divert attention from electoral malpractice".
Police used tear gas and "minor force" in the face of stone pelting by locals in Sambhal on Sunday as tension escalated during a second survey of the Mughal-era mosque, claimed to be originally the site of an ancient Hindu temple.
Ten people have been detained and a probe was launched into the violence, an official said.
Tension has been brewing in Sambhal over the past few days after the Jama Masjid was surveyed last Tuesday on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site.
A day after the Uttar Pradesh bypoll results were declared and the Samajwadi Party managed to win just two seats while the BJP and its ally RLD bagged the other seven, Yadav levelled serious allegations against the police and administration.
"A serious incident occurred in Sambhal. A survey team was deliberately sent in the morning to disrupt discussions about the elections. The intention was to create chaos so that no debate on election issues could happen," the Samajwadi Party chief claimed.
Citing reports, he said several people were injured in the violence in Sambhal and asked when a survey of the mosque was already done, why was a new survey conducted again and "that too in the morning and without preparation?"
"I don't want to go into the legal or procedural aspects, but the other side was not even heard. This was intentionally done to provoke emotions and avoid discussions on election rigging," Yadav said.
"What happened in Sambhal was orchestrated by the BJP, the government and the administration to divert attention from electoral malpractices," the former UP chief minister alleged.
Asserting that in democracy, true victory comes from the people, not the system, he said, "The new democracy created by the BJP ensures that people cannot vote while the system dominates."
He added that whenever an impartial investigation takes place, and the truth comes out through booth recordings and CCTV footage, it will be evident that "voters did not cast their votes and someone else became the voter inside the booth".
Yadav claimed that on the polling day, the police and the administration removed the Samajwadi Party's almost all booth agents and many supporters who wanted to vote.
"If voters were prevented from voting, then who cast the votes? If Samajwadi Party votes didn't reach those booths and our candidate didn't get support, then who voted there? This is a serious issue," he said.
"Additionally, there were two types of slips, -- one with a red mark and another regular slip. We raised this issue on the voting day itself, stating that the administration had created such arrangements, leading to discrimination," Yadav alleged.
The Samajwadi Party's candidate for the Kundarki assembly bypoll Haji Rizwan too has alleged that his supporters were prevented from voting.
The BJP's Ramveer Singh won the bypoll in the Kundarki seat by a margin of over 1.45 lakh votes.
