Dalit family had performed puja at the inauguration of the temple, the accused were upset’, Dalit youth was abused with casteist slurs in the temple premises

It is alleged that the parents of the accused also abused the victim. Apart from this, they questioned her entry into the temple on the basis of her caste background.

Published on: 03 Jul 2025, 4:08 pm

Mumbai: Three members of an upper caste family have been booked for allegedly hurling casteist slurs at a Dalit man outside a temple in Malad west. The 45-year-old victim’s complaint claims that the casteist slurs and abuse took place at the Omkareshwar Mahadev temple in Malwani on June 28.

According to media reports, the victim and temple trust head Mithilesh Singh were putting up a no parking sign near the temple premises when local resident Sonu Upadhyay started abusing the victim.

“The accused Upadhyay family has been misbehaving with him for a long time. We were putting up a no-parking board outside the temple when Sonu Upadhyay and his parents misbehaved with the complainant,” Singh alleged in his complaint.

Allegedly, Sonu’s parents, Omkarnath and Parvati Upadhyay, also abused the victim. Apart from this, they questioned his presence in the temple on the basis of his caste background. The complainant said, “Such casteist and discriminatory acts are shameful. We are in the 21st century.”

The victim claimed that his anger was related to the puja on the inauguration day of the temple, which was performed by a Dalit family.

The victim said in his complaint, “Four years ago, when the temple was being constructed, people from all communities and religions came together and worked for it. Since a Harijan family performed puja on the day of the temple’s inauguration, the Upadhyay family is upset with this.”

Mithilesh Singh, president of Omkareshwar Mahadev Temple Foundation, told local reporters that the victim frequently visited the temple and also did voluntary services.

In this regard, a case has been registered against the Upadhyay family under relevant sections of the Indian Justice Code (BNS) and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

According to media reports, head of the family Omkareshwar Upadhyay claimed that all the family members are innocent of the allegations made by the complainant.

“Nobody from my family used casteist words against him. We have video evidence to support our claims. When the police call us, we will present it to them,” Upadhyay said.