A special team of officials will soon be constituted to address complaints of various forms of untouchability prevalent in Mysuru district.
L. Murugan, vice-chairman, National Commission of Scheduled Castes, said here on Saturday that he had come across complaints of discrimination against Dalits in the district. Hence, a special team of officials including the District Social Welfare Officer and Civil Rights Enforcement Cell officer will be tasked with the responsibility of conducting a survey of various forms of untouchability that were prevalent in Mysuru ditrict and take necessary action to address the discrimination against Dalits.
He said the survey on untouchability in Mysuru ditrict will be a pilot study, which can be considered for expansion at State level.
Mr. Murugan said he came across Basaveshwara Temple in Bilikere that has remained closed for more than two years now over the issue of entry to Dalits.
Abhiram Shankar, Deputy Commissioner, and Amit Singh, Superintendent of Mysuru district Police, had been asked to convene a peace meeting between the representatives of different communities in Bilikere and ensure that the temple was reopened and Dalits are allowed entry.
With regard to complaints of barbers, mostly from rural parts of the district, refusal to cut the hair of Dalits forcing them to go to urban areas for the purpose, Mr. Murugan said he had asked the district administration to ensure that cases are booked against such barbers.
On the denial of space to bury the dead of the Dalits, Mr. Murugan said Dalits were not only prevented from burying their dead in the same burial ground as caste Hindus, they were not even provided an exclusive burial ground. The district administration has been directed to purchase land for the purpose of burial grounds for Dalits in villages.
Mr Murugan said he had directed the authorities against evicting the 300 Dalit families from the land in Himmavu that had been acquired by Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) for creating an industrial estate.
