Tension is prevailing in Sigaranahalli in Holenarasipur taluk since this morning following upper caste people’s opposition to Dalits entering the Basaveshwara temple in the village.
The villagers gheraoed senior officers including Assistant Commissioner E. Vijaya and Additional Superintendent of Police Shobha Rani and engaged in heated arguments with them. The officers were in the village after Dalit families had demanded the district administration to ensure they were also allowed to participate in the Durga Parameshwara Jatra Mahotsava, beginning on Friday.
Holenarsipur Tahsildar Y.M. Renu Kumar had held a meeting with representatives of seven villages, who participate in the festival, on Thursday. The representatives had reportedly agreed that they were not against the participation of Dalits in the festival. But when Dalits sought to enter the Basaveshwara temple on Friday morning, they were opposed. Senior officers held a meeting with the Dalits, who reiterated their demand. However, the upper caste people opposed it, resulting in a tense situation.
The people engaged in a heated argument with the officers and also threw stones at police vehicles and assaulted two journalists who visited the village. When The Hindu contacted the Tahsildar, he said the heated argument was going on. “Nobody has been assaulted here. People are engaged in arguments”, he said.
