BANGALORE: Furious over an eight-year-old boy entering a temple in Nelamangala, a priest allegedly thrashed him on Sunday.
The incident took place at the Rudreshwara shrine, on the outskirts of Bangalore. A Dalit activist attributed the assault to caste bias. The boy’s parents, however, have refused to file a complaint, police said.
The priest went to perform puja in the evening and found Santosh, son of Bettaiah, in the sanctum sanctorum. Furious, he allegedly thrashed him and banged his head to the wall.
People who heard of the incident took Santosh to a government hospital, where he was treated and discharged. The priest alleged Santhosh was trying to steal money and injured himself when he was being chased.
The priest and the boy’s parents have arrived at a compromise in consultation with elders, a police officer said.
“We are trying to verify the facts. We have also heard Santosh was playing with a top and it spun into the shrine,” the officer said.