KOPPAL: Days after a court in Gangavati taluk of Koppal district sentenced 98 people to life imprisonment in connection with the violence at Marukumbi village in 2014, the family members of the convicts have decided to challenge the verdict in the High Court of Karnataka.
“With many of our breadwinners back in jail, it will be difficult for us to lead a normal life,” they said.
The court sentenced 98 people to life imprisonment after finding them guilty of setting ablaze the huts of many Dalits at Marukumbi.
After a clash over denial of entry to Dalits into hotels and salons in the village, the accused set their huts ablaze.
Ninety-eight convicts belong to 200 families living at Marukumbi. Their family members now feel that they have to face a tough time without their breadwinners. It would be difficult for them to even send their children to school. Hence, they have decided to move the high court. Some families have already met lawyers, according to sources.
Meanwhile, some villagers expressed fears that Marukumbi may see violence again as family members of the convicts are unhappy with the court order.
The court order has also impacted some villages near Marukumbi. Many have started shutting down their salons and hotels. However, a police team recently visited Marukumbi and nearby villages and convinced the owners to reopen their salons and hotels.
Many family members of the convicts broke down when they were being taken to the Ballari jail after the court announced its verdict. A few elders from Marukumbi said, “There are no issues between Dalits and other communities in the village now. We all are living in peace and harmony now.”
The huts were burnt in 2014 after some Dalits, who had gone to watch a film in a local theatre, fought with a group of people from other communities there. Later, clashes broke out when some Dalits were not allowed to enter salons and hotels in the village. Many Dalit leaders took out a padayatra from Koppal to Bengaluru seeking action against those responsible for clashes in the village.
