BENGALURU: Police have registered a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act against a hotel owner in Raichur district for practising untouchability.
Deputy Commissioner Raichur S Poovita told TNIE that an FIR was registered after a preliminary enquiry by Lingasugur tahsildar Satyamma.
There was public ire after a video went viral on social media that showed the hotel owner, Shivappa S Hadapad, standing beside a Dalit man and pouring drinking water into a man’s mouth in Itchanal village.
Small eateries and hotels in the area often do not entertain Dalit clients and whenever they request for water to drink they refuse to give them a tumbler used by regular clients and pour them water.
Some keep separate cutlery and cups and plates for the Dalit clients. Some explained that while some Dalit castes like Bhovis and Lambanis are touchable Dalits these restrictions apply to untouchable Dalits. Sources say that in some eateries and restaurants there are designated tables and seats for Dalits.