Dalit Man Denied Entry In Temple

69 years of independence and 61 years of a law of abolishment of untouchability, still 16% of the population which is comprised of Dalits face the prejudice everywhere. In a recent incident that came in light from Ramnagar, Udhampur. A Dalit man was stopped to enter temple precinct by the BJP’s workers. He was beaten up mercilessly. And after the huge brawl, the victim was denied treatment at the hospital. The Resident of Udhampur, Basantpur, Bisan Das was about to enter Maa Sheetla Mandir to offer prayers. But, before he could enter the premises he was badly beaten up by the fringe elements.

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The temple is in the same village, and Bisan had gone for pilgrimage. A function was organised there on account of Navratri. He was attacked in the premises around 3:30 in the morning. They pelted stones at him and attacked him with bamboo sticks. Bisan has suffered some serious injuries on his head and back.

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He said that the workers, Sumit Kuldeep, Arvind, Yash, Sudesh and Shalil belongs to Brahmin caste and since he belongs to poor family and being vulnerable he cannot fight them. He was further denied treatment at a hospital. What was his fault?  Did his caste provoked people to beat him or did they beat him because he wanted to offer prayers in the temple?

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Caste based temple controversies are nothing new.  Even the Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was stopped at the gates of the Jagannatha temple in Puri, Orissa as she married a non-Hindu. She was deemed to be an outcast. Time has come to break the shackles of a caste system and uplift those who need our help instead of trampling them.