‘No tea, no haircut’: Upper castes impose social boycott on Dalits in Karnataka village
The Dalits filed a complaint at the Gurmitkal Police Station, accusing the upper castes of physical assault and caste-based abuse
A shocking case of caste-based discrimination has emerged from Chinnakara village in Gurmitkal taluk of Yadgir district in Karnataka. Members of the Dalit community have been socially boycotted by upper-caste residents for allegedly refusing to comply with their directives.
Ambedkar Bhavan land dispute sparks tensions
In 2017, the Karnataka government allotted six guntas of land in Chinnakara for the construction of a Dr. BR Ambedkar Bhavan, meant to serve the Dalit community. However, the building has not been constructed due to various delays.
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Taking advantage of this, upper-caste villagers reportedly planned to build a Gram Panchayat office on the same land over the past year. On June 20, officials and Panchayat members arrived with a JCB machine to begin clearing the land and initiate construction.
Dalit villagers strongly protested, stating: “This land is reserved for the Ambedkar Bhavan. No other building should be constructed here.”
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Dalit leader Husainappa claimed that upper-caste individuals verbally abused Dalits with casteist slurs during the confrontation.
Police complaint followed by boycott
The Dalits filed a complaint at the Gurmitkal Police Station, accusing the upper castes of physical assault and caste-based abuse. However, upon returning to the village, they found that a meeting had been held by the upper-caste community, which issued an oral diktat that no one should interact with Dalits.
The boycott is being strictly followed by the upper-caste residents, including elders who are enforcing the social exclusion.
No tea, no haircuts, no grazing help
As a result of this boycott, Dalits are being denied tea at local hotels run by upper castes. Barbers are refusing haircuts to Dalits.
When asked why, they said: “We’ve been warned not to provide services to Dalits. If we do, they threatened to cancel our licenses.”
Audio recordings of such threats are now circulating widely on social media.
Adding to the cruelty, even grazing help for Dalit-owned sheep and cattle has been forbidden by the upper-caste leadership in the village.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka)