Dalit show of strength in Karnataka village after Caste Hindus assault youth

The Tarikere rural police have registered a case under the Atrocities Act, and arrested four of the 15 accused persons.

 Published: 07/01/2024 7:00 am

The Gollarahatti village in the Tarikere taluk of Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru district has been on the boil since New Year’s day. The police told South First that the village saw a Dalit show of strength after caste Hindu persons assaulted a youth from the marginalised community.

The police have already arrested four people for the assault, having registered a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act) of 1989 as well as relevant sections of the IPC, based on a complaint from the 26-year-old Dalit man, working as the driver of an earthmover.

The driver, identified as Maruthi, had come to the village on 1 January to demolish a building, but was assaulted by a group of villagers.

He said in his complaint that caste Hindu men were irate that a Dalit had entered into the gully of the colony where the Golla community members collectively resided at the village.

The incident

A villager named Ravi had called an earthmover to demolish his building on New Year’s Day.

Soon after the earthmover started its work of demolition, a group of Golla community members from the locality reportedly gathered on the spot and asked Maruthi who he was and from where he had come.

Upon coming to know that he was from a Dalit community, they allegedly hurled casteist slurs at him because he had entered their locality. They are said to have even assaulted him when he protested and said that he had come to do a job.

He said in his complaint that around 15 enraged villagers assaulted him and even took away ₹20,000 that he had on him.

The demolition work was temporarily halted, and Maruthi approached the Tarikere Rural Police Station and lodged a complaint, after which returned to his village.

Show of strength

The next day, Maruthi returned to the Gollarahatti village with several people who were associated with Dalit organisations in and around Tarikere. They staged a sit-in protest at the village, said the police.

The villagers in Gollarahatti apparently feared that the group of Dalit activists, who wore blue shawls, were going to vandalise temples, and closed two religious precincts in the area.

This further enraged the Dalit activists, as they thought the villagers were closing the temples to not let them enter those places, said the police.

The activists then reportedly attempted to enter the temple premises by force, and that was when the villagers informed the police.

As the matter continued to escalate, a few villagers also informed the local tehsildar and officials from the district administration, who also rushed to the village.

They conducted peace meetings between the community and the Dalit activists.

Chikkamagaluru Superintendent of Police (SP) Amathe Vikram also visited the village and spoke to Maruthi and the Dalit activists, reassuring them that such an incident would not recur in the village.

The Tarikere rural police, based on the complaint from Maruthi, immediately registered an FIR, booking 15 people under sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act) of 1989, and conducted detailed inquiries into the matter.

Another angle?

A senior police officer told South First that the incident stemmed from television cables being damaged by the earthmover, and that there was no Dalit angle.

A group of villagers said they saw Maruthi damaging the cables and started abusing him and asked him where he had come from.

When Maruthi argued back, they allegedly beat him black and blue. They also allegedly took away ₹20,000 from him, stating that it was a fine for entering their village.

He then headed to the police station and filed a complaint, after which he went to a hospital and availed treatment.

The Tarikere rural police have arrested four people in connection with the case. They have been identified as Shankar (36), Rajappa (47), Shivaram (27) and Manjunath (21). They are now on the lookout for 11 others who are absconding.

The accused have been booked under appropriate sections of the Atrocities Act as well as Sections 323 (assault), 324 (assault using grievous weapons), 327 (voluntarily causing hurt to extort property), 143 (unlawful assembly), and 147 (rioting) of the IPC, the SP confirmed to South First.

The deputy superintendent of police of Tarikere had been appointed the investigating officer in the case, he added.