A 28-year-old Dalit man, Arjun Madar, was brutally assaulted after attempting to enter a village temple in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district, police said. The incident occurred on September 10 in Ugalwat village of Badami taluka. Following the attack, the police registered a case, booking 21 people and arresting six individuals involved.
Madar told the police that he was confronted by a villager named Mudgouda Reddy when he visited the temple at around 10:30 pm. This altercation soon escalated as more villagers gathered and began assaulting him. Madar was tied to a pole during the attack. Days later, on September 14, a village-wide boycott was declared, warning that interacting with Madar would lead to fines or punishment.
Madar said, “When I went inside the temple to offer prayers, I was stopped by the people from the forward castes, who not only abused me but also made casteist remarks.”
“I was then tied to a nearby electric pole and trashed by a group of people. An announcement was also made banning all the Dalits into the localities of the “upper castes” on 14 September,” he said, demanding action against the accused.
Upon hearing about the assault, Y Amarnath Reddy, Superintendent of Police, Bagalkot, visited the village. Deputy Commissioner Janaki K M also visited on Sunday, holding meetings with both Dalit and upper-caste communities, urging them to maintain peace and harmony.
“Around 18 people have been booked under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and other sections of BNS. We have launched the investigation and action will be initiated against the wrongdoers,” stated the Bagalkot SP.
