E-Paper
One held, 3 booked for denying Dalit groom entry into temple
The marriage of a Dalit groom, Sandeep Gawale, was soleminised in the same temple following intervention by district collector Rajesh Kumar Kaul on Thursday, and under police protection, after the temple’s managing committee locked the gates to prevent the groom’s entry into the temple.
The Madhya Pradesh Police on Friday lodged a case against four members of a temple committee and arrested one of them in state’s Burhanpur district on Friday after a Dalit groom claimed that he was denied entry into the temple for soleminising his marriage on Thursday, police said.
The marriage of a Dalit groom, Sandeep Gawale, was soleminised in the same temple following intervention by district collector Rajesh Kumar Kaul on Thursday, and under police protection, after the temple’s managing committee locked the gates to prevent the groom’s entry into the temple.
Town inspector of Lalbagh police station, Vikram Singh Bamaniya, said the four members of the temple committee, who were booked were Pandit Patil, president of the committee, Ashok Mahajan, vice president, Nandlal Patil, secretary and Kadu Deewanji, watchman. Nandlal Patil has been arrested while the three others are absconding, the town inspector said.
Bamaniya said the accused have been booked under sections 295-A (to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 3(1)(Za)C (Preventing a member of scheduled caste or a scheduled tribe from entering any place of worship which is open to the public) under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Untouchability is prohibited under Article 17 of the Constitution and is an offence under Untouchability (Offences) Act, 1955.
According to the a complaint lodged with the collector, the groom, Sandeep Gawale, a resident of Biroda village sought permission from his village Hanuman temple’s management committee for his marriage to be solemnised on the premises.
The committee gave him permission, in writing, but when he reached the temple at around 12 noon, the gates were locked. “There was no one at the temple with whom I could speak. I waited for more than two hours for the temple management committee members but nobody turned up,” he said in his complaint.
Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) KR Badole, who was instructed to act on the complaint, said that he and the town inspector of Lalbagh Police station asked the temple committee to open the gate “and the marriage was solemnized.”
Events unfolded amidst protests by villagers who said Dalits should not be allowed inside the temple and even assembled around the place of worship to prevent Gawale’s entry.
“Several people in the village did not allow us to enter the temple because we are from the lower caste. It was only under the police protection that we entered the temple,” Gawale said. He added that his marriage could not be solemnised at the auspicious time of 1245 pm as he had wanted to.
Treasurer of the temple committee, Ganesh Mankar said, “Watchman of the temple Kadu Deewanji had to suddenly rush to a doctor as his grand daughter was taken ill, hence he locked the gate. Meanwhile, the groom and his family members reached there and created ruckus.”
Mankar said, “The Dalits had been performing pooja at the temple for years. Had it been a case of untouchability this would have been come to light several times in the past. The fact remained, the groom Sandeep Gawale’s cousin’s marriage was solemnised on the same temple premises only four months back.”
Badole added that he was surprised because untouchability has never been an issue in his district. “I have been here for the past five years but never received any complaint like this before,” he added.
Bamaniya said: “We have given protection to the Dalit family and will take action based on the inquiry.”
