Tension in Mandya village as Dalits enter temple for first time
Mandya (Karnataka), Nov 10: Tension prevailed in a village in Mandya on Sunday after the district authorities made way for the Dalits to enter the temple and worship the deity 'Kalabhairaveshwara' for the first time.
The upper caste people, mostly Vokkaligas, allegedly took away the 'Utsava Murthy', the metallic festival idol of the deity for performing rituals outside the temple in Hanakere village.
Heavy police force has been deployed in Hanakere in view of the prevailing tension.
According to sources, there was an old Kalabhairaveshwara Swamy temple in the village and Dalits were never allowed to enter it.
About three years ago, the old dilapidated structure was demolished and a new temple was built. Recently, the shrine came under the control of the Religious Endowment Department of the state government.
Soon, Dalits decided to enter the temple but the members of the upper caste communities did not agree.
The Dalits complained to the district administration about the discrimination done against them. Subsequently, two peace meetings were conducted but they failed.
On Sunday, the Dalits entered the temple amid police security. The upper caste members who were upset with the development took away the festival idol.
"Let them keep the temple, we will take the deity with us," one of them was heard saying.
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Two held in UP's Bijnor for contact with Pakistan linked Dubai handler
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Bijnor (PTI): Two men were arrested in this Uttar Pradesh district on Friday for allegedly being in touch with a Pakistan-linked handler based in Dubai, police said.
Circle Officer, Najibabad, Anjani Kumar Chaturvedi said Uvaid Malik and Jalal Haider were arrested following inputs on their alleged links with Aqib, a resident of Meerut currently staying in Dubai.
According to police, Aqib had earlier come into the spotlight after a video surfaced on Instagram purportedly showing him displaying an AK-47 rifle and explosives.
During interrogation, the arrested men allegedly told police that Aqib used to incite youngsters against Hindus and encourage anti-national activities, the officer said, adding that detailed questioning of the accused is underway.
On April 6, Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Jha said the video first surfaced in November last year. Aqib, a native of Sathla village in the Mawana area of Meerut, was allegedly seen in the video brandishing weapons.
Following the viral clip, a case was registered at the Nangal police station by sub-inspector Vinod Kumar. However, the then station house officer and investigating officer Satyendra Singh had recorded Aqib's statement and filed a final report, stating that the weapons seen in the video were toys, effectively giving him a clean chit.
Police said fresh developments have now revealed Aqib's suspicious links and the probe has been handed over to the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).
The SP said action has been taken against the officials concerned, with the then SHO and investigating officer suspended and Circle Officer Nitesh Pratap Singh removed from his post.
