Tension grips UP village after Dalits enter temple

Security forces have been deployed in the village

Some members of the upper castes on Friday turned away several “kanwariyas” (devotees, who offer the Ganga water to Shivlingas) belonging to the Dalit community from the temple saying it would render the temple “impure”.

The upper caste people reportedly locked the doors of the temple and squatted before the gates to make sure that the Dalits could not enter it.

The Dalit devotees approached the police which arrived in strength and forced the upper caste people to open the door. The Dalits were then able to offer water at the temple.

Irked over the police action, the members of the upper castes chose to abandon the temple and offered “jalabhishek” at another nearby Shiva temple in the village. They also announced that they would never enter the temple in future as it has become “impure” following “jalabhishek” by the Dalits.

According to the villagers, a similar incident had happened at the village a few years ago. “At that time, the villagers had immersed all the idols of the temple and replaced them with new idols,” said the officials quoting the villagers.

Security personnel in strength have been deployed in the village as tension prevailed there, official sources here said.

Thousands of “kanwarias” carrying water from the holy Ganges visit famous Shiva temples in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, especially in Hardwar and Varanasi and other places in the Hindu month of “shravana.”