Karnataka Village Erupts in Protest After Dalits Denied Right to Carry Palanquin

Chikkaballapur: Dalit youths staged a strong protest after they were denied permission, allegedly by upper caste people, to lift the palanquin of the village Goddess on Monday in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur district. After the incident, the situation turned tense in the region. The jurisdictional Chikkaballapura Rural police rushed to the spot and are holding talks with leaders from both communities in an effort to resolve the issue. Police said they had also received information that the two groups clashed and that the idol of the Goddess was abandoned in the middle of the road.

According to a preliminary investigation, the incident occurred during the procession. Villagers had collected donations from all sections of society, including Dalits, to organise the procession. However, a few youths from the Dalit community demanded that they also be allowed to carry the palanquin of the goddess, which was reportedly rejected. This led to arguments and a clash between the two groups. The police were informed about the incident, which rushed to the spot. The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) has also rushed to the spot and is closely monitoring the situation.

Earlier, an armed gang allegedly severed the left hand of one Anish Kumar, belonging to a Dalit community, sitting outside his house on Siddappaji Temple Road in Malagalu, Kanakapura town, in south Karnataka. On October 25, 2024, a district court in Karnataka sentenced 101 people for their involvement in a mob attack on Dalits in the state’s Koppal district ten years ago.

Ninety-eight of them were handed life terms, while three were given five-year sentences. The incident occurred on August 29, 2014, in the Marukumbi village, where the homes of three Dalit families were torched. Over 30 people suffered injuries as a mob dragged Dalit men and women from their homes and assaulted them.