Last rites of former soldier exposes practice of untouchability in Karnataka village

Officials of the district administration held a peace committee meeting in Chinnapur in Bagalkot district of Karnataka following complaints of the practice of untouchability in the village.

A team led by Tahsildar Amaresh Pammar, and including officials of the Social Welfare Department and the police, visited the village. They spoke with members of some Savarna groups, and also owners of hotels, shops and hair cutting salons, and urged them not to practice untouchability, which is prohibited by law and the Constitution.

Another meeting will be held on March 2.

Complaints of untouchability arose after all the shops and hotels remained closed on the day of the cremation of Hanumanthappa Harijan, a former soldier who belongs to the Holeya community, which is grouped under Scheduled Castes.

Mr. Harijan, 55, who had served in the Indian Army for over 22 years, had settled in his native village after retirement. He died of a heart attack on February 24. His final rites were conducted on February 25. Some army officers and ex-servicemen participated in the event.

However, most of the commercial establishments in the village remained closed on that day. Most of the attendees, including army personnel, faced a lot of inconvenience. They had to travel to the nearby town of Ilkal for breakfast. Some young members of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti complained to the Deputy Commissioner’s office about the issue. They sought a permanent solution to the problem.