Dalit groom prays at temple near Ambedkar's birthplace in police presence
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Indore (PTI): A groom from the Dalit community had to offer prayers at a Lord Ram temple, located near Dr B R Ambedkar's birthplace, in police presence after an argument between two groups in a village here.
The incident took place on Monday, when the country celebrated the birth anniversary of the Constitution's chief architect and social reformer Ambedkar, a revered figure among Dalits who was born on April 14, 1891 at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district.
As per accounts provided by eyewitnesses and videos on social media, the groom, who arrived at the temple in Sanghvi village, 25 km from Mhow, with his marriage procession and guests, offered prayers at the temple along with a few of his family members in the presence of police.
The police, however, denied claims that the Dalit man was prevented from entering the temple, and asserted there was an argument between two groups over entering the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine, where only priests are allowed as per local traditions.
Some videos of the incident have surfaced on social media. In one of the videos, the groom is seen standing outside the temple with his marriage procession and 'baraatis' (guests) arguing with the other side, said to be members of a privileged caste.
After a controversy erupted, police issued a statement clarifying the entire episode.
"A rumour that a Dalit groom was prevented from entering the temple in Sanghvi village in the Betma police station area is being circulated on social media, which is misleading. The groom and his family went to the temple and prayed. After this, the wedding procession was taken out peacefully," statement said.
On receiving information about the argument between the wedding party members and the other group, a police team reached the spot and resolved the issue by convincing people of both the sides regarding entering the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, it said.
After offering prayers at the temple, the wedding procession left for its destination, the statement said.
Betma police station in-charge Meena Karnawat told PTI, "In Sanghvi village, no one stopped the groom from a Scheduled Caste to enter the temple. The 'baraati' side was talking about entering the temple's sanctum sanctorum, where according to local traditions, only priests are allowed. No devotee goes inside the sanctum sanctorum of this temple.''
The groom belonged to the Balai community.
Manoj Parmar, president of the All India Balai Mahasangh, said, "Due to the frustrated mentality of some people, our community still has to face caste discrimination in rural areas. The groom from the Dalit community was able to offer prayers at the temple under police protection after nearly two hours of argument."
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
