Topic started by Rohini (@ 61.11.18.38) on Thu Jun 5 10:52:24 .
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Violence to keep Dalits away from temples
Kolhapur, May 14: A dalit movement to be allowed entry into temples in the Kolhapur district of Maharashtra has taken a bloody turn with the upper castes resorting to violence against it.

Earlier, upper caste community members had tried ostracising and threatening Dalit Mahasangh, the outfit spearheading the movement. The Mahasangh is active in Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur districts.

Yesterday, upper caste members pelted stones and blocked roads when a Dalit group was returning after a visit to the Basweshwara temple at Hitni, a village in Kolhapur district.

A violent mob also set afire the tehsildar’s jeep and two police motorbikes and pelted stones at police on bandobast duty. Police took 30 villagers into custody who were later released on bail.

Twenty-five people, including police officials, were injured in the incident. The mob turned violent when police led the Dalit activists to safety after their temple visit. Later in the evening, the Dalit community at Gadhinglaj arranged a morcha against the violence.

The row began when the Dalit community from Madyal in Kolhapur entered the Somlinga temple in the village on Ambedkar Jayanti. Villagers said they are not against temple entrance, but ‘‘outsider’’ Dalits are creating tension.

Superintendent of Police R.K. Padmanabhan claimed that police had controlled the situation in Hitni. The Republican Party of India today submitted a memorandum to the district collector and the SP and demanded strict action against those involved in prohibiting Dalits from entering temples.

Responses:

• From: Kavingar chellappa (@ ip68-98-160-177.nv.nv.cox.net) on: Sat Jul 5 11:08:45 EDT 2003
  
  It is shame on our part not to allow the dalits into our temples.The great Adi Sankara got wisdom only by the touch of an untouchable and delivered the Advaidha Philosophy to the world.When you say that God is in every object,why do you close your eyes to see God in a poor dalit.From the days of our Sacred Vedas,our religion had undergone so many changes.For instance,according to N.S.Rajaram, River Ganges was not a sacred river.But we made it sacred in later Ages.There is no place for Vishnu in the Vedas.The most glorified God was Indra.But in later years due to Bhakti movement, Narayana became our most supreme God.When our God Himself can undergo a change,why this perverted idea of varna should not undergo a seachange ?Every enlightened Hindu should understand that varna is a sin against Man and God.And it is our sacred duty to carry our fellow brethren with us to the Heaven of Freedom.Remember that the dalits are our legs.Should we wish that our legs should be affected by the leprosy of Varna or the cancer of Casteism? As long as our legs are affected by diseases,we cannot call ourselves healthy.A large portion of these dalits embraced Islam in the first millennium due to this perverted system .Similarly another such portion left us to Christianity.Instead of uniting our Society,Casteism is dividing us.Kindly listen to the words of Swamy Agnivesh.It is not too late to reform ourselves.
  
  

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