KOPPAL: Five people from Miyapur village in Kushtagi taluk of Koppal district have been arrested in connection with imposing a penalty on a Dalit family for the entry of their three-year-old boy into the Maruteshwara temple in the village. The five were identified as Kanakappa Poojary, Hanumanagouda, Gavisiddappa Myageri, Sharanegouda and Virupakshagouda Myageri.
The incident took place on September 4 when the boy's parents had gone to the temple on the occasion of his birthday. When the boy entered the temple, the priest and others objected to it. They held a meeting subsequently on September 11 and imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on the Dalit family. The boy belonged to the Dalit Channdasar community, while the five arrested people are from the upper Ganiga caste, a sub-sect of the Lingayat community. The Dalit family could ill-afford to pay the penalty and hence approached the police and leaders of their community as well.
The police held a peace meeting subsequently with all communities in the village to end the issue amicably as the Dalit family was reluctant to lodge a complaint.
However, based on a complaint by Social Welfare Department assistant director Balachandra on September 21, the Kushtagi police arrested five people and booked cases under IPC sections 504, 149 and SC-ST Act, 2015, Superintendent of Police Shreedhar T told The New Indian Express on Wednesday.
"It is inhuman to restrict entry of any community including Dalits into temples and impose penalty. Hence these five people have been arrested. Interrogation is going on and further legal course of action will be taken into the incident," he added.