A Dalit family in Karnataka was ordered to pay a fine of Rs 25,000 after their 2-year-old son entered a Hanuman temple. The incident occurred on September 4, when the family took the toddler to a Hanuman temple in Miyapura village near Hanumasagar in the Koppal district of Karnataka, to seek blessings on his birthday.
According to reports, Dalits had traditionally been forbidden entry into the area’s temples and had to pray standing outside. While his father was praying outside, the toddler reportedly ran into the temple. As a result, this became a huge issue in the village after some people from the upper caste, including the priests, found the boy inside the temple.
The Dalit family belongs to Chennadasa, while most residents of the village are Ganiga Lingayats. They claimed the temple was desecrated as a Dalit boy had entered, so they held a meeting on September 11 and asked the parents to pay Rs 25,000 as a fine, which will be used to conduct purification rituals in the temple.
Despite being unable to pay the fine, the family approached community leaders for help, but did not inform the police. However, when the district administration learned of the development, it sent officials from the police, revenue, and social welfare departments to the village. Even though no case has been registered yet, officers have conducted a program to educate all villagers about untouchability. Officers took upper caste members to task for imposing a fine on the Dalit boy’s parents and let them off after warning that legal action will be pursued if they repeat their behavior.
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Culprits apologized
After being admonished by police, the culprits apologized to the boy’s father. However, community elders decided against filing a complaint even though the police went to the victim’s house to convince him to do so. T Sridhar, Superintendent of Police, Koppal, said that people from upper castes oppose the actions of their own community members and apologized to the Dalit boy’s family. According to Tehsildar Siddesh, the elders apologized for the misunderstanding that ensued.
While this may seem shocking to outsiders, it is not the first time Dalits have been discriminated against in Karnataka. In September 2019, villagers from Tumakuru district refused to let Bharatiya Janata Party MP A Narayanaswamy enter their village for being Dalit. As Dalits are traditionally barred from entering the village, it was alleged that the Chitradurga MP, who had gone there to discuss drinking water supply issues, was not allowed to enter the village.
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