Dalit man assaulted in Karnataka over loan
A Dalit man and his sister-in-law were assaulted by upper-caste individuals in Kolar district after he requested repayment of a loan.
Bengaluru: A Dalit man and his sister-in-law were assaulted by some upper-caste people in Mulabagilu taluk of Kolar district after he requested for repayment of a loan , police said on Wedenesday.

According to a complaint filed by the Dalit man Hanumantha (28), around 10 people from the village attacked him and his sister-in-law with stones and knives.
A complaint has been filed against ten people at Nangali police station. “Police arrested five people on Tuesday, while the remaining five are currently absconding,” Nangali police station sub-inspector Arjun Gowda told HT.
According to the police, three years ago, Hanumantha, a labourer, had lent ₹50,000 to the accused Santhosh after getting the amount from a relative. However, upset with Santhosh’s failure to repay the loan, Hanumantha went to his house on Sunday evening and asked for repayment of the amount. “This resulted in a confrontation between the two,” sub-inspector Gowda said.
Hanumantha, who is undergoing treatment at Mulabagilu government hospital, told reporters,“Santhosh came to my house with his relatives, verbally abused me and my sister-in-law Sudhamma with caste names, and attacked us with stones and knives. Later, the group set fire to the hut of my elder brother Reddeppa.”
A complaint has been registered at Nangali police station against Suresh, Sunil, Ashok Gowda, Kalawathi, Shivshankar Gowda, Janardhan, Prasanna Kumar, Sagar, Santhosh, and Narendra Gowda.
“Soon after receiving the complaint from Hanamantha, we visited the crime scene, collected information, and arrested five accused,” Arjun Gowda said. “All the accused were charged under the SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) Act, IPC sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 146 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly with common intent), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (threat to life), and 324 (hurt with a weapon). The arrested five were produced before JMFC court in Mulabagilu, and efforts are underway to apprehend the other accused who are hiding after the incident.”
The court remanded all accused to judicial custody for 14 days. FSL experts were summoned to the crime scene where the hut was burnt down, and they collected evidence, the sub-inspector said.
Kolar additional SP V B Bhaskar visited the spot and deployed police personnel to maintain law and order.
