Village tense after imposition of social boycott on Dalits

November 02, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:43 am IST - Hassan:

V. Manjunath, tahsildar, surrounded by residents of Sigaranahalli in Holenarsipur taluk on Saturday.— Photo: Prakash Hassan

V. Manjunath, tahsildar, surrounded by residents of Sigaranahalli in Holenarsipur taluk on Saturday.— Photo: Prakash Hassan

Officers representing the district administration had a tough time in Sigaranahalli in Holenarasipur taluk on Saturday evening, when they visited the village following a complaint from Dalit families alleging that the ‘upper castes’ had imposed a social boycott on them.

The ‘upper castes’ allegedly surrounded the officers and challenged them to file cases against them, defending the social boycott on Dalits in the village.

A few Dalits of Sigaranahalli on Saturday morning had submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner, Umesh H. Kusugal, alleging that the ‘upper castes’ had imposed a social boycott.

Shopkeepers had been instructed not to entertain Dalit customers. Based on the complaint, the DC had sent a team of officers, including tahsildar, V. Manjunath, District Social Welfare officer, N.R. Purushotham, to the village in the evening.

After enquiring from the Dalit families about the complaint, the officers sent a Dalit boy to a shop to check if the social boycott was in effect.

The shopkeeper had refused to give what the boy wanted and the officer enquired the shopkeeper and warned him of issuing a notice to close the shop for his conduct. Within minutes, the ‘upper castes’ gathered in big number and surrounded the officers. Defending their action of social boycott, they dared the officers to file cases against all.

The officers, somehow, managed to return to Hassan. The situation is tense in the village. Police force has been deployed in the village.

Recently, the ‘upper castes’ had allegedly imposed a penalty on four women for entering a temple in the village.

Following this incident, Dalits had staged protests seeking entry into the temple and a government-funded community hall, for which entry of Dalits was prohibited for many years.

Following these incidents, the Dalits of the village have demanded that the district administration shift them from the village and provide a place to live separately.

Minister for Animal Husbandry and Sericulture, A.Manju, who is also in-charge of Hassan district, on Sunday, told presspersons that he was aware of the incidents in Sigaranahalli and would hold a meeting with officers on the issue in a couple of days.

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