India

Dalit devotees denied entry to Polakshamma temple in Tirupati district

A group of Dalit devotees has been denied access to the Polakshamma temple in Gollapalli village in Puttur mandal of Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday, August 20, 2023.

The incident occurred during the annual folk festival ‘Jatara’ at the temple. The Dalit devotees, from the Harizanawada community, had come to the temple to offer their prayers. However, they were stopped by the priest of the temple and a group of locals from the upper castes. The priests reportedly instructed the Dalit devotees that they were not allowed to enter the temple due to the fact they had been from a lowered caste. They even locked the gates of the temple. 

The Dalit devotees were outraged by way of the incident. They staged a protest outside the temple and stressed that they should be allowed to go into the temple. They also demanded action against the temple priests and the locals who had denied them access. 

The incident sparked an outrage and the Andhra Pradesh government has ordered an inquiry into this. The state’s minister for social welfare, P. Pulla Rao, has condemned the incident and stated that the government will take strict action in opposition to the perpetrators. 

The incident is a reminder of the continuing caste discrimination that exists in India, despite the laws that restrict caste discrimination. Dalits still continue to be denied their fundamental rights. This incident is a call for the authorities to do extra to give up caste discrimination and make sure that each Indian has equal treatment and can access public locations. 

The incident has additionally drawn attention to the difficulty of Dalits entering a temple in India. In India, there are numerous temples that are still out of the reach of Dalits. This is a legacy of the brutal caste system, which has historically denied Dalits their right to worship in many Hindu temples. 

The denial of entry to temples is a case of social exclusion that has a profound effect on Dalits. It denies them the right to participate in spiritual activities and to stay connected with their cultural history. It additionally reinforces the idea that Dalits are not as good as members of different castes. 

According to the authority’s inquiry, there are a number of things that may be done to cope with the difficulty of caste discrimination in India. 

  1. Raising awareness about caste discrimination and its harmful outcomes.
  2. Educating citizens about the legal guidelines that prohibit caste discrimination. 
  3. Empowering Dalits to combat for their rights.

You can contribute additional points to the list in the comments.

The incident in Tirupati is a reminder that the fight against caste discrimination isn’t over yet. There is still a lot of work to be executed to make sure that every Indian have equal rights, which include proper worship in any temple they choose. As the youth of the country “WE” can change the destiny of our motherland. Only “WE” can stop the evil practice of caste discrimination. So let us stand against this evil and make our country a better place to live in.

Please also have look : Dalit girl gang-raped by three students in university campus in Jodhpur

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