Uttarakhand police on Tuesday registered a temple-desecration case against a Dalit youth who was allegedly assaulted by five upper-caste people two weeks ago for entering the shrine and is still in hospital with burns and other injuries.
A local court in Uttarkashi had on Monday, acting on a plea from a temple manager, directed the police to book the 24-year-old Dalit youth on the charge of hurting religious sentiments by desecrating a place of worship.
The five alleged assailants had been arrested on January 13, four days after the incident, under the SC/ST atrocity law.
According to the complainant who moved court, the Kaul Temple at Salra village in Uttarkashi district does not bar anyone but the accused had desecrated the holy fire by jumping on it and in the process burnt his legs.
Relatives of the Dalit youth say he was confined, burnt and beaten by temple officials through the night of January 9, all because he had entered the shrine against their wishes.
They allege the story of his jumping into the fire was concocted to explain away his burns.
The youth is still at Doon Hospital in Dehradun, 150km from Salra, with burns on both legs and other injuries all over his body, reports said. Kartar Singh, a villager associated with the management of the temple, had approached the local court on January 21.
“The youth came to the temple on January 9 evening and jumped into the ritual fire. He attacked temple caretaker Ram Dayal when he was asked not to spoil the fire,” Kartar told the court.
“He also entered the sanctum sanctorum and ransacked it.”
Kartar alleged the police had refused to entertain his application.
A relative of the Dalit youth told reporters: “He was insulted by members of the temple and asked to go away when he went there to pray. Even before, these people used to misbehave with him over his caste background.
“As he entered the temple, these people overpowered him. They locked him in a room and thrashed him the whole night. He was let off in the morning when some villagers mustered the courage to go to the temple and ask about him.
“He never jumped into the fire or ransacked the temple. They pushed him into the fire.” Mohan Singh Kathait, officer in charge of the local Mori police station, said: “We have registered a case on the direction of the court and begun an inquiry. We will file the chargesheet as soon as we can.”
Building collapse kills 3 in UP
At least three people were killed and several others were feared trapped after a five-storey residential building collapsed in Lucknow’s Hazratganj on Tuesday evening.
“The rescue teams have brought out three bodies from the rubble,” Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brijesh Pathak said.
Relatives of the injured in Lucknow’s Hazratganj . PTI
The cause of the collapse is not known.
Eyewitnesses said Alaya Apartment on Wazir Hasan Road of Hazratganj, an upmarket area, collapsed at 6.40pm. “Around 40 families were living here,” he said.