Police resort to lathicharge in Udupi rally, 4 hurt

Many CPM activists take part in protest against Made Snana

The police personnel had to resort to lathi-charge as CPI(M) activists during a protest rally, made an attempt to forcibly enter Sri Krishna temple protesting against the practice of the rituals of “Made Snana” and “Pankthi Bedha” here on Thursday.

The activists tried to break the barricades put across the entrance gate adjacent to Sanskrit College. Though more than 100 police personnel, who were deployed on the spot, tried to stop the agitators from climbing and breaking the barricades, they resorted to lathicharge when the situation was about to go out of control. While two police personnel suffered injuries, two CPM activists too have suffered injuries. All are undergoing treatment in hospitals.

Speaking on the occasion, CPI(M) Politburo member M A Baby said that it is ironical to observe the evil practices like caste discrimination and social injustice followed in Sri Krishna mutt. The temples should uphold the values of human dignity. These sorts of practices bring ill fame to the Hinduism which preaches equality. There were many social reform movements taken up in Kerala and these revolutionary ideas should be adopted in Karnataka to bring out equality.

People who are responsible to take decision should come forward to take a decision in favour of equality. These two practices are against the Constitutional ethics. Law should take cognizance of the facts that caste discrimination is practiced and people’s rights are oppressed. The system of separate dining system for the upper class and lower class people and lower class devotees rolling over the plantain leaves with the leftovers of the upper class people is absurd.

Stating that the ritual is an insult to the lofty ideals of Hinduism, he said that Hinduism stood for knowledge and modern values. Karnataka is a state which has given birth to the radical philosophers like Basavanna who said caste discrimination is unscientific. He preached dignity of labour. Baby said that mere erecting the statue of Basavanna will not yield anything. Instead, his ideologies should be absorbed by all individual minds. He added that there is a need for social reform movements to uphold the democratic rights of downtrodden people like Dalits.

Earlier, inaugurating the public rally, CPI(M) State Secretary Srirama Reddy said both
“Made Snana” and “Ede Snana” are similar and both are aimed at degrading the human dignity. The century old orthodox rituals need to be stopped. The practices aim at humiliating downtrodden class of people in the name of religious sentiments. Any God will not ask devotees to practice the inhuman rituals.

These people are creating disparities between gods. There is a need for concrete measures to eradicate the practice of these ridiculous rituals. Lower class people are victimized in the name of religion and rituals, he regretted.