SCs enter Ramanagara Temples after Tahsildar intervenes in access dispute

RAMANAGARA

In a significant move toward promoting social justice and equality, members of the Scheduled Caste community in Lakkasandra village, under Sugganahalli Gram Panchayat, were allowed entry into the Mayamma Devi and Basaveshwara temples on Monday. The temples, managed by the Mujarai department, had allegedly been off-limits to Scheduled Castes due to community-based discrimination.

The breakthrough came after a complaint was filed on June 14 by P. Puneeth Raj, District General Manager of the Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (Ambedkar vada). He accused members of the dominant Vokkaliga community of preventing Scheduled Castes from entering the temples. The complaint was addressed to Tahsildar Tejaswini, the Social Welfare Department, and the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE).

Acting swiftly, Tahsildar Tejaswini, along with local police, officials from the Social Welfare Department, and Dalit leaders, visited the village. She convened a peace meeting between both communities, although only a few Vokkaliga representatives were present.

After the meeting, the Tahsildar instructed the temple priests to open the temples for darshan and personally led Scheduled Caste devotees inside. She made it clear that any future attempts to deny access to temple worship would invite strict legal action under civil rights and anti-discrimination laws.

Tejaswini stressed the need for peaceful coexistence and declared that discrimination based on caste would not be tolerated. Her intervention marks a significant step in enforcing equal rights and reinforcing the constitutional mandate of temple entry for all.