Sathish G.T.
The seven families refused to clean streets and beat drums during festivals like their ancestors
Village elders passed a diktat asking people to boycott them, and violators are being fined
Facing the ire: Seven Scheduled Caste (Madiga) families are allegedly being boycotted by the Lingayat community at Keragodu village in Arkalgud taluk in Hassan district.
Keragodu (Arkalgud taluk): Seven families of the Scheduled Caste (Madiga) in Keragodu village in Arkalgud taluk have allegedly been socially boycotted by the Lingayat community people who form a majority in the village. Refusal to continue with the traditional profession of their community has proved costly for them. Their ancestors used to dispose off dead animals, clean village streets, dig graves and beat drums during festivals, which the seven families have refused to do and are now facing the wrath of the people of the upper castes in the village.
Keragodu is a village in which 110 families reside and the village panchayat is a non-elected body of elders dominated by members of the upper caste. The panchayat has allegedly instructed the village people to boycott seven SC families and those who violate the diktat are being fined.
Of the nine Scheduled Caste (Madiga) families in the village, two families enjoy a good relationship with the upper caste Lingayat community because they continue to do all the work that their ancestors did and that is – dispose off dead animals, clean village streets, dig graves and beat drums during festivals.
A year ago Basavaraju, a Dalit, had refused to perform the traditional profession. His was the first family to be ostracised by the village panchayat. The panchayat issued a diktat that no villager should talk to any member of Basavaraju's family and violation would attract a fine of Rs. 50.
Basavaraju said, “I don't want to continue the profession which my father did. Carrying corpse of cattle is a herculean task for which we are paid a meagre amount. We are made to dig a grave only for a rupee. As I refused to carry on with that kind of work, I was victimised”, he said.
According to Eeraiah, a Dalit, boycott was extended to other six families when they all refused to beat drums during Deepavali celebrations last year. Gowramma, a Dalit woman, said the upper caste women do not allow her to fetch water from the public borewell and if they have to do so their turn comes only after the upper caste women complete fetching water for their households. “We are very few in number in comparison to the Lingayat community and so we live in constant fear”, she said.
Eeraiah said that the panchayat had imposed fine on nearly 10 people belonging to the Lingayat community for speaking to the ostracised families. A shopkeeper who sold food grains to Dalit families attracted a fine and a gram panchayat member Mahadevappa also paid fine for taking help from a Dalit to provide medicine to his ailing cattle.
During the Ugadi celebrations on April 4, the idol of lord Basaveshwara from Basaveshwara temple, a Muzrai temple, was carried door-to-door in the village. But the priest allegedly refused to stop the procession at the doorsteps of the Dalit families.
Manjunath, a Dalit, had filed a complaint with Konanur police against priest Vishweshwaraiah alleging that he had denied the Dalits their right to offer prayers to god during Ugadi. Responding to the allegation, Mahadevappa, vice-president of the Lakkur Gram Panchayat and a Lingayat, said that the dispute over petty issues had been blown out of proportion by the Dalits. “Nobody has been boycotted. Elders of the village have taken some decisions for the welfare of the village and everybody has to obey it”, he said.
Tahsildar M.K. Savitha, Deputy Superintendent of Police Parashuram and other officers held a peace meeting in the village on Wednesday.
Ms. Savitha said the Dalits and Lingayats of the village had some personal differences which had been given the colour of social boycott. “We have enquired the matter at length. There are no instances of social boycott in the village”, she said.
According to the tahsildar, the village leaders did not allow a few families to offer prayers to god during the Ugadi festival as they had not contributed to organise the festival.
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