BOTAD: The arrest of an upper caste woman for allegedly stopping Dalits from entering a temple in a village in Gujarat's Botad district led to the social boycott of residents of the scheduled Caste (SC) community but the issue was resolved after police brokered peace, an official said on Monday.
The incident occurred on August 18 when four women belonging to the SC community went to a temple in Limbadiya village to offer prayers.
However, they were stopped by a woman from the Patidar community who told them that Dalits are not allowed inside the temple.
She allegedly hurled casteist slurs at the women and stopped them from entering the temple, as per the First Information Report (FIR).
A case was registered on the same day under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe ((Prevention of Atrocities Act) and the accused woman was arrested on August 19.
She was sent to jail after completion of remand, said Dhasa police station inspector BM Pandit.
Unhappy with the development, villagers in Limbadiya issued a diktat asking shopkeepers and others to boycott Dalit residents, claimed Amru Makwana, a local leader.
"We were also not given any work by villagers due to which 25 Dailt families may have to migrate to some other place," Makwana told reporters on Monday afternoon when he and other members of his community reached the Dhasa police station for a meeting.
Pandit said police rushed to the village before the matter could escalate and resolved the issue by arranging a meeting with all the community leaders, following which Dalits entered the temple and also bought groceries from shops.
"During the meeting, everyone agreed to end the impasse and live peacefully. The issue of the boycott has been resolved amicably," the police officer said.
Dalit leader Pravin Rathod said members of his community purchased groceries from shops in the village after the police and media intervened.
"A barber also cut the hair of a Dalit man. We visited the temple. The issue is resolved," he added.