The residents of Gollarahatti at Gerumaradi village in Tarikere taluk have closed two temples in their locality following the entry of a Dalit into their habitat. Kambada Ranganatha Swamy and Thimmappa temples will remain closed until the rituals of purification are conducted, according to the residents.
Maruthi, an excavator operator from M.C. Halli, who belongs to a Dalit community, visited Gollarahatti on January 1. He was hired for loading work at a house-demolition site. As the residents learnt about his entry, they closed the gates of the temples. A few residents allegedly assaulted Maruthi for entering the habitat. He filed a complaint against 15 people in this regard on January 2. The Tarikere police have registered a case under the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and arrested one person, Shankar. The rest are absconding.
When The Hindu visited the place on Thursday, both the temples were shut. A team of police officials led by Tarikere Dy.SP V.S. Halamurthy Rao visited the village for mahazar proceedings. As the police vehicle reached, men and women were seen hurriedly going inside their houses and shutting the doors.
