Man held in Karnataka for not allowing dalit couple to enter temple

BENGALURU: A 58-year-old agriculturist from Gonitumakuru in Turuvekere taluk of Tumakuru district was arrested on charges of preventing a newlywed dalit couple from entering a temple last week.

The alleged incident occurred when a farmer from Dabbaghatta, K Jagadeesh, arrived at Aadi Shakti Arasamma temple on Feb 19. Jagadeesh was accompanied by his newlywed younger sister and her husband.


"To our shock, Narayanappa (the agriculturist) stopped us from entering the temple. When we questioned him, he acted as if he was possessed by god and spoke in a strange voice. He directed us to go out of the temple as we belonged to a lower caste. Also, we were told to pay up for cleansing the temple," Jagadeesh told police.

A case was filed against six people, including Narayanappa.