KOLAR: Eight people were booked by Malur Masthi police after a minor Dalit boy was fined Rs 60,000 for touching the grama deity Boothamma. On Wednesday, Kolar Deputy Commissioner Venkata Raja, SP D Devaraj, Deputy SP Muralidhar and senior social welfare officers visited Ullerahalli of Masthi in Malur taluk, and spoke to the boy and his parents.
Raja told TNIE that strict action would be initiated against those involved in the incident. SP Devaraj said two teams were formed under his direct supervision to arrest the accused, and one team will be headed by Deputy SP Muralidhar, who is also investigating officer.
It is said that on September 8, when the deity of Boothamma was taken in a procession, the 15-year-old boy touched the idol, causing an uproar. Upper caste people called a panchayat and summoned the boy’s parents. They demanded that the family pays a fine of Rs 60,000 for touching the Utsava Moorthy. They wanted the money to perform puja to purify the idol.
When the boy’s mother Shobha said she couldn’t pay up, the panchayat asked her to leave the village, and threatened them not to disclose it to anyone.Following this, Sandeesh, president of the state unit of Dr Ambedkar Seva Samithi, urged police to act against those demanding a hefty fine from the family.
Following a complaint by Shobha, police registered a case under various sections of the SC/ST Act, against Narayanaswamy, Ramesh, Narayanaswamy (former GP member), Venkateshappa, Kotteppa, Chalapathy, Mohan Rao (archak) and Chinnaiah, all residents of Ullerahalli. He instructed the social welfare department to immediately provide a job for Shobha on contract basis. Shobha had told him she commutes to Bengaluru every day for work, so it was decided to give a job where she gets a better salary. Raja said a cheque for Rs 25,000 had been given to Shobha, and the remaining amount will be given later.