Rajasthan: Priest Arrested For Asking Dalit Newlyweds To Pray From 'Outside The Temple'

The Rajasthan Police arrested a temple priest for not allowing a newlywed Dalit couple to offer prayers on the temple premises in Jalore. Netizens took notice of the video showing Vela Bharti, the priest, stopping the Dalit newlywed couple at the temple gates in Neelkanth village. The video also captured the heated argument between the priest and Dalit family. The aggrieved family members approached the Police to file a complaint against the priest under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Denied Entry Because They Were Dalits

Following the complaint, the Rajasthan Police arrested the temple priest on Sunday. Harsh Vardhan Aggarwalla, the Superintendent of Police in Jalore district, said, "We have registered a case under SC/ST Act against the priest and arrested him", NDTV reported. As per the FIR, Kuka Ram's wedding procession reached Neelkanth village on Saturday, and the couple wanted to offer a coconut in prayer at the village temple. However, upon reaching the temple gates, the priest told them to provide the coconut from outside. The Priest denied entry to the newlyweds and their families inside the temple because they belonged to the Dalit community.

In the video which took social media by storm, the bride saw pleading with the priest with folded hands; however, the couple and their relatives were publicly humiliated based on their caste.

Later, a few villagers supported the priest and said that there was no point in arguing with the priest because the decision was taken from the consensus of the villagers. "We pleaded with the priest a lot, but he was adamant. After that, we filed a complaint against the priest with the Police," Tara Ram said. The incident becomes an irony as it comes at a time when India is celebrating 75 years of independence.

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