Several upper-caste villagers in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district cleaned a public storage water tank after a Dalit woman drank water from it. People from the Hindu Lingayat community cleaned the tanker so it can be “purified”, officials said. The Dalit woman was from another place and had come to Heggatora village on Saturday.
While she was drinking water, the accused had tried to stop her saying it was the “Brahmins’ lane", an IANS report said. On November 19, the Dalit woman had come to the village to take part in a marriage ceremony.
Right after she quenched her thirst, water was drained out from the tanker set up on an upper-caste locality, and was cleaned using cow urine. Soon after the incident went viral on social media, the tehsildar and social welfare department officials rushed to spot and conducted an enquiry, a Hindustan Times report said.
According to IANS, the Karnataka Police filed an FIR against the man named Mahadevappa, who cleaned the tanker. The police action followed a complaint lodged by Giriyappa, a Dalit from the same village.
Tehsildar Basavaraju was informed about the incident by upset Dalit villagers. The authorities immediately rushed to the spot and allowed all Dalits to drink water from the same water tank and warned villagers not to practice untouchablity and discrimination.
The authorities had also held peace meetings with leaders of all communities. District in-charge minister V. Somanna had sought a report regarding the incident over the issue.
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