Nude parade case; 5 sent to judicial custody

The Chamarajanagar District Principal and Sessions Judge has remanded five persons suspected in a case of nude parading of a Dalit, into 15-day judicial custody.

The Gudlupet police presented all the suspects before the judge on Wednesday night. However, another suspect, Shivappa, the priest of the temple, was not produced before the court, though he had been named as a prime accused in the FIR.

Kantharaju, victim Prathap’s cousin, alleged that the incident was intentional. He said, Prathap dreamt of appearing for competitive exams and was under depression. “He is not suffering from any psychological problem. He was under treatment as he was upset for not being able to appear for UPSC exam. He was coming from Mysuru, when the incident happened,” he said.

However, the temple management board denied the allegations, saying the incident was not intentional. “We did not know he belongs to a SC community. When Shivappa found Prathap, he was naked. He pushed Shivappa, damaged the idols and ran away. So, villagers tied him up and brought him. They should have covered him up. It was a mistake,” the members said.

Management member Nagendra said, the temple was open for all communities. “As his father appealed not to lodge a complaint, we did not go to the police. The incident has been blown up out of proportion,” he said.