Dalits face boycott in Maharashtra village, police intervene

This picture has been used for representational purpose

Tension prevailed in a village in Maharashtra's Latur district when villagers allegedly decided to boycott the local Dalit community over a dispute related to temple entry. Police on Saturday said the dispute was resolved following the meeting of a peace committee and the situation was now normal.

Some social media posts claimed that the dispute arose when two Dalit youngsters entered a Hanuman temple and broke a coconut at Tadmugali village in Nilanga tehsil three days ago. Some youths took objection to their entry into the temple, and later people from other castes decided to boycott the village's Dalit community, reports said. A video of a flour mill owner who refused to grind grains for a Dalit family also went viral. The mill owner was heard saying in the video that if he went against the village and accepted Rs 10 from the family for the grinding, he will have to pay a fine of Rs 40,000 later.

When contacted, Deputy Superintendent of Police Dineshkumar Kolhe said police held meetings with both the sides and the dispute was resolved. He did not state categorically if temple entry by Dalits was the bone of the contention. "The dispute arose due to a misunderstanding between two groups of youths. We organised a meeting of the village peace committee on Saturday with all the villagers and they apologized," he said.

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