The police booked eight persons of upper caste for allegedly levying Rs 60,000 fine on a Scheduled Caste boy's family as he reportedly touched the holy stick of Bhutamma temple idol at Ullerahalli in Malur taluk of Kolar district.
The incident occurred on September 8. It came to light recently after the boy's mother, Shobha, a labourer in Bengaluru, lodged a complaint with the police. The boy is a Class 10 student.
"The holy stick fell down during the procession. My son lifted it and handed it over to the leaders. Narayana Swamy, Ramesh and former GP member Narayana Swamy thrashed my son as they noticed the incident. They directed us to clean the temple and paint it as my son defiled its sanctity. They also warned that our family would be boycotted if the Rs 60,000 fine amount was not paid before October 1. They threatened that they would not spare us," Shobha told the police.
Circle Police Inspector Vasanth Kumar told DH that some persons wanted in the case are absconding.
Meanwhile, a peace meeting was held at the village on Tuesday in which the Social welfare department joint director and Dalit leaders participated.
Published 20 September 2022, 16:55 IST