Members of Dalit Lekhakaru, Kalavidara Yuvaka Sangha held a candle light procession in the town on Sunday night to pay tributes to the rape and murder victim Dalit girl Danamma of Vijayapura.
Wearing masks symbolising evil forces in the society, the protesters took out a procession, holding candles, from Nachiketa Nilaya up to B.R. Ambedkar statue at Bangarpet Circle.
Addressing the participants, writer and activist Kotiganahalli Ramaiah regretted the oppression on Dalit people even after seven decades of independence. “If Dalit girls have to walk freely in the society they need to wield guns for self-protection”, Mr. Ramaiah said. “Other girls also may have to face the same fate as that of Danamma if society maintains silence over the issue. People should come to the streets to avoid recurrence of such heinous crimes against women.”
He urged the government to issue licences to possess guns in order to protect the Dalit womenfolk.
Dr. L. Basavaraju Trust president C. Lakshminarayan, Kannada Sahitya Parishat’s former district honorary secretary Ashwath Reddy, and lecturers G. Shivappa and C.A. Ramesh participated.
