TUMAKURU: A day after denying entry to Chitradurga Lok Sabha member Anekal Narayanaswamy into their hamlet at Pemmanahalli Gollarahatti in Pavagada taluk, Kadugolla community members have now agreed to invite him over on Friday. This came after Sri Krishna Yadavananda Swamiji met the community people and convinced them. The residents of the backward Kadugolla community had forbade Narayanaswamy from entering their hamlet because he is from the ‘untouchable’ SC community.
The head of the community, Chandrashekara Gowda, regretted the incident and blamed it on the socio, economic and political backwardness of the community. The seer said, “We should keep up with the changing times. We should follow 12th-century revolutionary Basaveshwara’s principles as castes were based on professions.”
Tahsildar Varadaraj told the residents that practising untouchability is a crime and action will be taken should there be such an offence in the future.Social Welfare Department deputy director Rama said, “People told us that they had committed a mistake and promised never to repeat it.” However, a report will be filed to Deputy Commissioner K Rakesh Kumar, who is expected to visit the hamlet on Wednesday.
Chikkappaiah, a retired IFS officer from the community, said, “There are 1,224 hamlets of the community in 37 taluks in 10 districts across Karnataka. We are tribal in nature and after a study, the Siddaramaiah government had sent a proposal to the Centre to get the community the Scheduled Tribe (ST) tag.”
Unfortunately, untouchability is an everyday practise among the Kadugollas. For instance, women who are on their periods are kept outside the hamlet in thatched huts in the fields for at least three days. Pregnant women too are forced to leave the hamlet with their newborns for two weeks. When SM Krishna was the chief minister, shelters called ‘Krishna kuteeras’ had been constructed outside some hamlets to bring some respite to the women.