TUMAKURU: The long-pending demand for a separate burial ground for Dalits in Byrenahalli of Koratagere taluk in Tumakuru district led to tension as the family of a dead man buried his body on a piece of government land on Thursday, claiming they had no other place to bury him.
This led to a clash between Dalits and upper-caste people, with the latter threatening to disinter the body and the bereaved family sitting on a vigil at the grave to prevent that.
On Wednesday, T Hanumantharayappa, 57, died at Byrenahalli. The Dalit family did not have their own land to bury him, so they informed the village elders to provide them a place to bury him.
The Dalit colony at Byrenahalli consists of 100 families, 90 of which are landless. Hanumantharayappa's nephew Lakshmikantha BS said: "We used to bury the bodies of our neighbours and relatives by the roadside of NH-234. But the elders were not ready to bury Hanumantharayappa there, so we asked the village authorities to provide another place for us. When they didn't, we buried the body on a piece of government land in survey no. 1, but upper-caste people tried to stop us."
Tahsildar Nahida Zam Zam told TOI, " I visited the general burial ground and told Dalit families to bury bodies on 20 guntas which is being cleaned. If anybody objects, they should bring it to my notice and I will address it."
Dalit leader Venkatesh Murthy, however, said the tahsildar wanted them to bury bodies on the burial ground of upper castes, and if they do so it will only lead to clashes.
