Kaushal condemns ban on entry of Dalits into temples

Tribune News Service

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Dehradun, October 12

Avdhash Kaushal of the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK) has expressed dismay at Dalits denied entry into a temple at Gabela village in Jaunsar Bawar in Chakrata. He has said the government should take stern action against those involved in the incident.

He said, “In Garhwal, even today, Dalits are not allowed entry into temples. The Uttar Pradesh government had set up the Kolta inquiry committee on the issue that had submitted its report. The incident at Gabela village in the Sahia area in Uttarakhand denying entry to a Dalit into a village temple is not new. In 1976-77, the Uttar Pradesh government had officially accepted the existence of 19,000 bonded labourers in the Chakrata and Kalsi blocks of Dehradun, Jaunpur in Tehri district and Mori and Purola in Uttarkashi district. A directorate was established to rehabilitate them. These landless bonded labourers were Scheduled Castes, Koltas, Doms, Bajgis (drummers), Lohar, and Badai (carpenters). These landless Dalits were not bonded labourers (slaves) of Japanese, Russians or the British for that matter. However, they are bonded to the local mafia, land owners, musclemen and big politicians”.

“This is the irony of the situation that Scheduled Caste artisans and workers, who construct temples and houses of the high caste land owners, are not allowed to enter the building they had constructed. The hands that weave clothes and stitch them and the fingers that work on making utensils to be used for offerings to Gods are still untouchables,” said Kaushal.