B’luru: Protests held for demanding justice for Dalit boy assaulted for questioning cellphone use in temple

Bengaluru: Dalit organizations alleged that a Dalit youth was assaulted by a gang of people at Sri Anjaneya temple in Vijayapura near Doddaballapura near Bengaluru, on October 30, for questioning the use of mobile inside the temple by the temple trust committee chief.

The organizations took out a rally in Bengaluru Rural district on Thursday demanding the arrest of those who allegedly attacked a Dalit youth.

According to the protesters, a gang of people allegedly abused him, tried to strangulate him with a piece of cloth used by priests, and assaulted him severely in front of his brother, the IANS report said.

The protestors alleged that Vijayapura police have arrested only three persons and are not making any effort to nab the rest behind the attack on the youth, who is still being treated at the government hospital. The police should withdraw the case against the victim and extern the accused from the district, they demanded.

The victim, Dilip Kumar, son of an advocate and a college student, visited the Anjaneya temple every day before going to college.

On the day of the incident, his mobile rang while he was inside the temple. When the priest objected, he had stepped outside to receive the phone call. While returning, he noticed the temple trust President Prakash talking over his cellphone, and questioned him,  IANS reported Muni Anjinappa, a Dalit leader of the Praja Vimochana Chaluvali as saying.

At this, Prakash had abused him and tried to strangulate him. He had dragged him from the temple to the office and along with five others, attacked him. He claimed that he had built the temple and he could do anything and also abused him for being a Dalit, he stated.

The victim’s mother Manjula told IANS that her son was still alive as his elder brother, who was waiting outside the temple on a bike to drop him at college, rushed in and rescued him.

(With inputs from IANS)