http://hindu.com/2010/09/05/stories/2010090555090400.htm
Karnataka - Mysore Two huts of Dalits set ablaze Muralidhara Khajane These families were boycotted for refusing to beat drums during a festival -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The police were forced to register complaint against 13 people Dalits reportedly decided not to beat drums some 20 years ago -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MYSORE: An uneasy calm prevails at Ankahalli village of Gundlupet taluk in Chamarajanagar district, where “upper castes” allegedly torched two huts of Dalits early Friday for having complained to the police about the social boycott imposed on them. Foodgrains and other belongings in the huts of Rachaiah and Chikkasiddaiah were reduced to ashes in the incident. According to Superintendent of Police, Chamarajanagar district, B.S. Prakash, the situation was under control with two platoons of the District Armed Reserve (DAR) and senior police officers guarding the village. “Cases have been registered against 13 people in connection with the incident, but no arrests have been made so far. The accused will be arrested soon,” he told The Hindu. Chikkasiddaiah (46) said that “caste” Hindus imposed a social boycott on Dalit families for refusing to beat drums during the Mahadeshwara Swamy festival 15 days ago. Dalit leaders of the village had resolved not to beat drums during the festival some 20 years ago after a clash with “caste” Hindus. Nobody forced them to reconsider their decision till recently. However, when the new village head asked them to change their decision, the Dalits refused to do so. Irked by this, “caste” Hindus conducted a panchayat and fined the Dalits for disobeying the decision, and imposed a social boycott on them. The “caste” Hindus even warned people in the neighbouring villages of dire consequences if they helped the Dalits. The Dalits had been prevented from praying to the village deity even from outside the shrine, he said. When the Dalits complained to the police, they refused to register the complaint. The police were forced to register a complaint against 13 “caste” Hindus, who were instrumental in imposing the social boycott, after the intervention of the Dalit Mahasabha on August 20, said mahasabha president Venkataramana. Accusing “caste” Hindus of torching the houses of Chikkasiddaiah and Rachaiah, another Dalit leader of Chamarajanagar Arakalavadi Nagendra alleged that the houses were locked from outside before being torched. “But timely intervention of other Dalits, who doused the fire, saved the lives of two families,” he said. Had the police arrested the accused, the incident would not have occurred. “Interestingly, although the police were deployed in the village in view of the tension, they were not present when the huts were torched”, he alleged. Chamarajanagar MP R. Dhruvanarayan and Gundlupet MLA H.S. Mahadeva Prasad visited Anakahalli on Saturday and consoled the victims. Mr. Mahadeva Prasad attributed failure of the police to the torching incident. “Although a complaint was registered against the 13 accused on August 20, the police failed to arrest the culprits. The police are directly responsible for the incident,” he said. Angered by the apathy of the district administration in protecting the interest of Dalits in the district, Mr. Nagendra cautioned against launching district-wide agitation in case of not arresting the accused by Monday. ------------------------------------ ---- INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to zestmedia-dig...@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE:- On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:- If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to zestcaste-subscr...@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/ Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: zestcaste-dig...@yahoogroups.com zestcaste-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: zestcaste-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
