Chikkamagaluru villagers close temples for ‘purification’ after furore over Dalit’s entry

In yet another incident that depicts the blatant practice of untouchability in rural Karnataka, residents of Geru Maradi Gollarahatti village in Tarikere taluk of Chikkamagaluru district, have closed two temples in the area to conduct ‘purification’ rituals, days after a Dalit youth was allegedly assaulted for entering one of the shrines.

The alleged assault on the Dalit youth earlier this week, had not only sparked protests from the community, but also led to arrest of four people. However, villagers of Geru Maradi Gollarahatti, insist that the Dalit youth has desecrated the temple meant for the backward class community by entering it and the temples in the locality have been closed for ‘purification’ rituals. Community members who believe themselves to be descendants of Lord Krishna, have locked two temples belonging to the deity – namely the Kambada Rangaswamy temple and the Timmappa temple.

The Golla community – from where the term Gollarahatti – is derived form a chunk of the population in the Geru Maradi Gollarahatti village. The community comes under Category 1 of Other Backward Classes in Karnataka. Gollas are also called Yadavs in Karnataka and they have around 10 lakh population in the state, according to the 2011 census. It may be recalled that in September 2019, Union minister A Narayanaswamy was denied entry into a village named Pemmanahalli in Pavagad Taluk in the Tumkuru district, which is adjacent to his Chitradurga Lok Sabha constituency. The village belongs to mainly the people from the Golla community, and they denied his entry because the minister is from a Dalit community.

The incident

On January 1, a Dalit youth named Maruthi, employed as a JCB helper, had gone to Geru Maradi Gollarahatti village for earth excavation work. As a cable TV wire was cut on the temple premises during the work, Maruthi reportedly went to fix it, thereby inviting censure from villagers present there. He was assaulted for stepping inside the temple and robbed off ₹20,000 in the name of ‘fine’ for his ‘mistake’, police said.

The incident trigged protests by local Dalit organisations in the village.

The Tarikere Police have filed a case under the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and arrested four persons on charges of assaulting the youth. They have also taken a few others into custody for further investigation. According to the police, 11 other accused are absconding and a team has been formed under the leadership of Deputy Superintendent of Police VS Haamurthy.

Police try to reopen temples, villagers adamant

Sources told The Federal that senior police officers and officials of the Backward Class Department and Social Welfare Department are trying to reason with the villagers to reopen the temples while also sensitising them on caste eradication.

However, no amount of cajoling has managed to cut the ice with the villagers who are determined to keep the temples closed until the ‘purification’ is done.

Deputy Director of the Social Welfare Department, C Yogesh, who spoke about this case, said that it is wrong to look down on Scheduled Castes (SCs). He said the people of Geru Maradi Gollarahatti have been warned that this should not happen again. He said the department will take more initiatives to create awareness on the issue.

Age-old practice, can’t be changed: Villagers

A villager who didn’t want to be named said that their age-old practice is that there is no entry for some communities that fall under the SC category and the ‘purification’ ritual has been prevalent in their village for many generations.

When asked about equality in society, he said they can't violate the rules set by their elders. “We will open the temples only after performing rituals after the police cases are closed," he added. However, Mukhesh G, a postgraduate student, said it was a wrong practice while calling for a need for awareness on the caste system in society.

“All are equal in society and they are all human beings,” he said, adding that he along with his friends have started gathering the youths and trying to bring awareness about such practices. Rajappa G, a leader from the Golla community said that some people in his community are following the same old practices and it is wrong to support such inhuman practices. "We are trying to bring awareness among the community with the help of Backward Class and Social Welfare Department programmes," he said. "Our educated youth are also trying to bring awareness among the people. We are trying to convince our leaders and elders of the village to open the temples to eradicate such practices," he said.