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Dalit couple forced out of temple in Karnataka, one arrested
A man was arrested for forcing a Dalit couple out of a temple in Tumakuru, claiming they couldn't enter. Police are investigating others involved.
A man has been arrested for allegedly forcing a newly married Dalit couple out of a temple in a village in Tumakuru district, police said on Sunday.
The incident took place at the Arasamma temple in Goni Tumakuru village in Turuvekere taluk, the home district of state home minister, G Parameshwara. The couple, identified as Pankaja and Puneeth, had gone to the temple after their wedding to seek blessings when they were confronted by a man identified as Narayanappa.
According to the police, Narayanappa allegedly pretended to be possessed by a deity and began shouting at the couple, preventing them from entering the temple. In a video of the incident, he is purportedly heard saying, “Dalits cannot enter the temple. You go and perform your pooja elsewhere. Leave immediately.”
Officials said the couple themselves later approached the police station.“Jagadish, Pankaja’s younger brother, filed a complaint with the Turuvekere police. Based on the complaint, the police registered a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and arrested Narayanappa,” said a senior police officer.
The FIR also names several others who were accused of supporting the act of untouchability. Police said they are searching for the remaining accused.
In response to the incident, Tahasildar NA Kunhi Ahmed and deputy SP Omprakash held a peace meeting bringing together Dalit residents and other villagers, and officials used the occasion to raise awareness that untouchability is a punishable offence.
