Dalit men allegedly beaten over temple entry in Rajasthan’s Churu; FIR lodged

Jaipur, Sep 22 (PTI) A group of Dalit men was allegedly assaulted for attempting to enter a temple during a religious procession at a village in Rajasthan’s Churu district, police said on Monday.

The incident, which occurred at Sadasar village on Sunday, led to protests outside the local police station on Monday.

According to an FIR lodged by Kanaram Meghwal, the incident took place on Sunday evening during a religious procession held after the conclusion of a ‘Bhagwat Katha’.

The ‘shobhayatra' (procession) was taken out from the recital venue to a nearby temple, and when Meghwal and a few others were entering the shrine for ‘darshan’, they were stopped by some villages, including Surdas Swami, Shankarlal, Himmat Kumar and Anil, the FIR said.

The complainant alleged that the accused prevented them from entering the temple for being Dalits, and assaulted them.

DSP Satyanarayan Godara said there was a rush at the entrance of the temple and Meghwal and others were asked to wait when an argument broke out between the two groups.

“A case has been registered against four persons who are absconding. A search is on to trace them,” the DSP said. PTI SDA ARI