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Case summary

Incident at Belegere Village, Channagiri Taluk, Davanagere District On 31 August 2026, a religious ritual known as “Ajji Pooja” was being conducted in Belegere village, Channagiri Taluk, Davanagere District. According to the information gathered, Scheduled Caste (Dalit) persons had traditionally been prevented from participating in this particular religious ceremony and were also not permitted to enter the temple premises. On the night of the incident, some young men belonging to a Scheduled Caste family from the same village participated in the Ajji Pooja and entered the temple premises. When some members of the dominant-caste community allegedly noticed them entering the temple, they objected to their presence and allegedly used caste-based abusive and derogatory language against the young men. The accused persons allegedly questioned the young men about how they had the courage to enter the temple and stated that persons belonging to their caste were not permitted to enter the temple. It is further alleged that some persons belonging to the Kuruba community restrained the young men who had entered the temple, tied them to a temple pillar, and assaulted them with wooden sticks, stones and other objects. The incident allegedly resulted in injuries to the victims. A case was registered with the police on the following day in connection with the incident. The allegations indicate that the incident involved caste-based discrimination, denial of access to a place of worship, caste-based verbal abuse, unlawful restraint, and physical assault. The incident therefore requires proper investigation, including examination of the circumstances surrounding the temple-entry restriction, the alleged caste-based abuse, the assault, the injuries sustained by the victims, and the applicable provisions of law