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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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
