A temple committee official allegedly assaulted the victim and abused him in the name of caste, a police inspector was quoted as saying.
Team Clarion
BENGALURU — A sexagenarian Dalit man was allegedly assaulted for refusing to play the drum during the annual pooja celebration at a temple in Makodu village in Periyapatna taluk of Mysuru district.
The victim, Paramayya (65), was called to participate in the Basaveshwara temple’s annual pooja by playing the drum, but he declined reportedly because he was not well, said M. Sridhar, inspector at Periyapatna police station.
Enraged by the response, Kumar, a temple committee official, allegedly assaulted Paramayya and abused him in the name of caste, the inspector was quoted in the media as saying on Thursday.
According to officials, the village has a Basaveshwara temple, and all communities have been celebrating the annual pooja together for decades. Drum beating is a traditional job for the Dalit community. Kumar became agitated when Paramayya refused to participate.
Basavaraju, Paramayya’s son, claimed that his father was unwell, which is why he declined to play the drum. “I informed the temple committee that I would take on the responsibility, but the accused forced my father to play the drum. When my father declined, he was assaulted and abused,” claimed Basavaraju.
Makodu gram panchayat president M. Shailaja said all communities have been participating in the pooja of the Basaveshwara temple for decades.
Expressing concern that the incident could threaten the unity of the village, she said a meeting with all communities will be held in the coming week to address the tension between the temple committee and others.
“Kumar, the accused, is a temple committee director, and he has to ensure a smooth conduct of the annual temple pooja as done in previous years,” Shailaja said.
“We have registered a case against Kumar under the Prevention of SC/ST Act, IPC sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult),” inspector Sridhar said.
Paramayya, who was admitted to Periyapatna Taluk Government Hospital, has since been discharged. Action against the accused would be initiated, he said.
