HUBBALLI: A group of Dalits from a village in Dharwad district has raised its voice against untouchability. Members of the group said they have to shell out Rs 500 for a haircut in their village and also pay extra to use chairs in hotels.
These Dalits from Rottigawad village of Kundgol taluk protested in Hubballi on Thursday. The message hit home and officials visited the village and conducted an inquiry on Friday.
The protesters alleged that upper-caste people have created a divide between communities in their village, which has around 40 Dalit families.
“As we cannot get a haircut in our village, we go to other towns or Hubballi for this basic necessity. If we insist, barbers in our village say they can give a haircut to us only if upper caste leaders approve it. Priests tell us not to go near the temple as it would sully the premises.
Hotel owners tell Dalit youth to sit on stairs and not chairs as they don’t want us to sit with other customers,” said Ashok Hindalmani, one of the protesters.
On Friday, a day after the protest, Kundgol Tahshildar Ashok Shiggavi and other officials visited the village, which is 16 km from Kundgol town. They met village heads and gram panchayat members. The gram panchayat president, who belongs to a Dalit community, denied any such practice of untouchability and discrimination. The team also visited the temple and hotels.
“We could not meet any of the protesters in the village as they were not available. We hope we can talk to them soon. As far as the Friday meeting in the village was concerned, there were not any complaints as claimed by the protesters,” said a senior official.