Police set to launch probe as Dalits allege discrimination

The Dalit community said that the authorities held peace meetings with the dominant caste group of the village but failed to broker a truce.

Dalits of Shagoti village in Gadag district of Karnataka have accused the upper caste members of discrimination and alleged they were denied entry into temples, hotels and grocery stores.

Dalits of Shagoti village in Gadag district accused the upper caste members of discrimination. (Agencies/Representative use)

The Dalit community said that the authorities held peace meetings with the dominant caste group of the village but failed to broker a truce.

Shivappa, a Dalit leader from the village, said that while the villagers agreed to treat them equally during the meeting with officials, discrimination continues.

“I’m a Dalit leader. If we ask for equality, they say they won’t give it. The tahsildar and members of the social welfare department visited the village and held a meeting with everyone. The villagers agreed to treat us better, but they continue to ostracise us. Since then, no one has come to see if things have improved,” Shivappa said.

“Our MLA has never visited the village. This is unfair. We don’t know how to lead a normal life. We used to make a living and feed our families by working in the fields. But now, we don’t know what to do. This has been going on for 4-5 days,” Shivappa said.

Shivappa said that the Dalit community is facing difficulty with no food to eat. “We are facing a lot of difficulties. We don’t have food to eat. There’s not even milk or biscuits to feed our children. The children keep crying, and we have to get from another village. Even after all this, no politician has done anything to solve our issues,” he added.

On Thursday, a Dalit couple was denied entry into the temple to conduct the wedding rituals. Sharanappa Madara said his family had to perform the rituals outside the temple.

Yogesh Hanumappa, a Dalit youth from the village, alleged that the dominant caste people “used their clout and control over village resources to socially and economically ostracise the Dalits”.

“There is a lot of discrimination here. We have asked for justice, but the villagers and elders here told us we don’t deserve it. The elders threaten us, saying that they won’t treat us equally if we bring the law into the picture. They ask us to stay outside the village. During the meeting held with the taluk panchayat recently, they said that we would be treated equally and with dignity. But now, they are subjecting us to more atrocities again,” Hanumappa said.

“Yesterday, they refused to give us food at the hotel here. At the grocery store, they said that if anything is given to us, they would be fined ₹2,500. So, we had to get food and groceries from another village. We can’t stay here. They won’t let us live peacefully. No leader has come to hear our issues. We request them to visit us and resolve our issues,” he added.

Meanwhile, Gadag deputy commissioner ML Vaishali said that the officials have held one round of meeting with the villagers and warned of strict action. “After the incident came to light, the ASP, and DySP visited the village and held a meeting with the villagers. Action is being taken to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Vaishali said.

“No case has been registered since the Dalit community has not come forward to file a complaint. But we have tried to broker peace and warned the dominant caste groups of strict action if this is repeated. We have held one round of meeting with people from all the castes. The officials will hold another round of meetings soon,” she added.

Can we get quotes from upper-caste community leaders on the issue?