Dalit boy's family was threatened with banishment from village if they failed to pay ₹60K as a fine for 'defiling' the deity.
For representational purposes only. (Supplied)
Harassed and threatened for touching a pole attached to a deity, a Dalit family in Karnataka’s Kolar has replaced images of all Hindu gods in their home with photos of BR Ambedkar and Buddha.
Days after she was threatened with ouster from the village or a fine of ₹60,000, Shobha decided she would worship only Buddha and Ambedkar henceforth.
The shocking instance of caste discrimination comes from the Kolar district, where a 15-year-old boy was punished for touching a pole attached to a deity.
It would have never hit the headlines if not for Dalit rights organisations.
Dalit family in Kolar replaces photos of Hindu deities with Dr BR Ambedkar’s photo. (Screen Grab)
Shobha was on her way back home on a train after a long day’s work earlier this month when she received a phone call from the village panchayat head and president asking her to come and meet them urgently.
Shobha, who lives in a modest rented accommodation on government land in Ullerahalli in Kolar’s Malur, works as a domestic help at an apartment complex in Kadugodi in Bengaluru. She takes a train every day from Malur to Kadugodi for her work.
A worried Shobha rushed to the panchayat president wondering what had happened. She was informed that her teenage son — a Class 10 student — had touched a deity during a procession.
“They said the deity has been defiled because my son touched it. They demanded that I pay ₹60,000 for ‘purification’ and repainting of the temple, or leave the village,” Shobha told reporters.
Shobha initially approached the police, but received no response. The incident came to light on Monday, 19 September, when Dalit rights organisations led by KM Sandesh, president of the Ambedkar Seva Samithi in Karnataka, highlighted the family’s plight.
Shobha’s son was watching the Bhoothamma procession, which had people carrying the deity in a procession from one village to another, in a tradition that is 300 years old.
Police sources told South First that during the procession, those bearing the deity’s heavy chariot on their shoulders placed it on a wooden pole.
“The pole slipped, and the chariot lost its balance. The teenager, who was nearby, rushed to help the devotees in putting the pole back,” the cops said.
Claiming that the pole the boy touched was attached to a deity — Sidiranna — villagers lashed out at the teenager for his “transgression”.
Not stopping at that, dominant Vokkaliga members of the village asked Shobha to take responsibility for her son’s “mistake”.
The cops, meanwhile, told South First: “Even the chief priest at the Bhoothamma temple is a Dalit.”
Police outpost in Tekal of Kolar. (Supplied)
A video posted by activist Sandesh shows Shobha asking the village leaders: “From where can I get ₹60,000? He didn’t do it intentionally. It was a mistake by a child. All I can give is ₹5,000. Nothing more.”
With the intervention of Dalit rights organisations, the police finally registered a case and booked several people for atrocities against Dalits.
The cops have booked eight people, who were a part of the panchayat, under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) Prevention of Atrocities Act.
“Six accused have gone absconding since the case was registered,” Superintendent of Police (SP) D Devraj told South First.
The district administration in Kolar took note of the issue on Tuesday. The SP and the district commissioner of Kolar visited the family at their house and reassured them.
The senior officials also summoned a crowd of villagers from the area and counselled them on atrocities and their illegality.
Shobha and her minor son were assured that the administration would lend a helping hand for any future issues. The district administration also promised Shobha a plot of land and a job nearby.
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