A 28-year-old Dalit man was thrashed after he tried to enter a village temple in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district, police said, adding that they booked 21 people in connection with the incident and arrested six of them.
The incident took place in Ugalwat village of Badami taluka on September 10. The victim, Arjun Madar, told the police that when he visited the temple around 10.30 pm, a villager named Mudgouda Reddy stopped him and picked up a fight with him.
Soon after that many villagers gathered there and started assaulting Arjun, whom they also tied to a pole. Around 7 am on September 14, a boycott call was announced in the village, stating that speaking to Madar would attract fines or punishment.
The FIR was registered on September 14.
After the incident came to light, Y Amarnath Reddy, Superintendent of Police, Bagalkot, visited the village. On Sunday, Deputy Commissioner Janaki K M also visited the village, held meetings with Dalit and upper-caste communities and appealed to them to maintain peace and harmony.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com.