Untouchability at new high in K'taka: Dalits continue to be shamed

Sachidananda Gautam | NT

Heggotara (Chamarajanagar)/ Bengaluru: Crime against Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) has witnessed a sharp spike in Karnataka. According to data collated from government agencies, after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government assumed power in the state, from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, there were 2,327 cases of murder, exploitation and other cases perpetrated on members of the SC and ST community in Karnataka.

This shows an increase of over 54% from the previous year, in which there were a total of 1,504 cases registered, which included, murder, exploitation, burns and other crimes against members of the community as per data collected from the National Crime Branch Bureau. It is depressing to note that added to this sharp spike are at least two cases of 'honour' killings in Karnataka.

The trend has not stopped, continuing in 2022. Two Dalit boys were beaten in separate incidents in Chikkaballapur and Kolar districts. Another incident reported from Chamarajanagar district indicates the way 'upper castes' are still treating the SC and ST communities, and practicing untouchability ruthlessly. Heggotara village, which is just 10 km from the district headquarters of Chamarajanagar, hit the headlines because of a heinous crime of untouchability by a so-called upper caste community.

“Though caste discrimination is the order of the day in this village, what happened in Heggotara reached the capital cities of both the state and the nation thanks to social media” said C Kumar, Dalit leader of the village, who is fighting against caste discrimination over the last many years. Heggotara made news in 1993 for the brutal murder of three Dalits by a mob of upper castes.

The dispute started over the entry of Dalits into a village temple, over which the civic society must bow its head in shame. Badanavalu was in in the news recently when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi inaugurated a pathway connecting the Dalit quarters of the village with an area dominated by Lingayats. To reach Heggotara is not difficult for any commuter.

After a 10 km drive on the MysuruChamarajanagar highway, a turn at Pennduhundi village and by traversing 3 km, commuters can reach Heggotara. People belonging to 11 communities reside in the village, including 250 families belonging to the SC community. Though Heggotara looks like any regular village, police personnel can be seen guarding its water tanks, and villagers in groups can be spotted discussing the recent development.

What really happened in Heggotara

Life was normal in the sleepy village till Shivamma of Yashavantapura village of Saragaru hobli of Heggadadevana Kote visited Heggotara to attend a wedding on November 18. After having a meal at the function, Shivamma went to a tank near Krishnaraya temple and quenched her thirst.

When she was about to board the vehicle she was travelling in, Mahadevappa (55), an accused, asked her if she drank water from the tank, and what caste she belonged to. Shivamma told him that she drank water and belonged to the SC community.

He reportedly told her that; she was not supposed to drink water from that tank, as the tank near the temple belongs to the Upper Caste-Lingayat community. Shivamma reportedly apologised and walked towards the vehicle. Accused Mahadevappa approached the tank and opened all four taps connected to it and allowed the water to drain.

While Shivamma watched this purification process in a state of shock, N. Swamy, another Dalit youth, who was watching this development started video graphing this. He was shocked when Mahadevappa brought Gomutra (cow urine) and sprinkled it around the tank as a process of purification and cleaned the tank, he captured that process too in his camera.

On returning to Horeyala, his village, he uploaded this on social media. The incident drew widespread criticism after the video of the ‘purification’ ceremony went viral on social media on Saturday. “Video went viral on social media, and hit the headlines of both electronic and print forms,” says Dindappa of the village.

Following reports of practicing untouchability in the village, officials of the Department of Social Welfare visited the village on Sunday and started enquiring about the incident, as a first action, they registered a case of caste abuse under Section 3 (1) of the SC/ ST Act. Giriyappa, a leader of SC in the village, registered a case.

Additional Superintendent of Police K S Sundar Raj, Deputy Superintendent of Police Priyadarshini Nanikoppa called for a meeting of leaders of Lingayat and Dalit communities. It became inevitable for the authorities to register a case against the accused Mahadevappa. After investigating Mahadevappa in the local police station, he was produced