DHARWAD: A clash between two individuals belonging to different communities has led to the social boycott of the entire Dalit community at Deverakonda village in Dharwad.
The village located about 45 km from Dharwad in Khalgatagi taluk is tense following the boycott of the Dalit families. The village heads have allegedly directed shop owners not to sell anything to the Dalit families.
The stand-off began last week when Durgappa, a Dalit, stopped fellow villager Irappa Annigeri, who belongs to the upper caste, from hitting a cattle which was grazing in a land belonging to a village temple. This created rift between the duo but the matter was resolved by the village heads. Later, Durgappa called his supporters from neighbouring villages and threatened Irappa.
It’s said that the arrival of people from other villages irked Deverakonda residents, especially the upper caste section. To teach Durgappa a lesson, a decision was taken to bar all Dalit families from entering the village centre.
The families approached the Kalaghatagi police, who questioned eight persons from the village. However, no arrests were made. A senior police officer said the matter was resolved after holding a meeting of villagers, police, and officials from the Social Welfare Department.