Shopkeeper refuses to take back soft drink bottle from Dalit, sparks row over untouchability in Ilkal village

BAGALKOT, GADAG: An ex-servyman’s funeral in Chinnapur ST village in Ilkal taluk was been marred by allegations of untouchability. The deceased, Hanumantappa Harijan (55) had served in the army for 20 years.

Relatives and family members from another village, who attended the funeral, alleged that shops and hotels in the village were closed when they visited, citing that Dalits were coming to the area.

The issue stemmed from the fact that a shopkeeper refused to take back a soft drink bottle and closed his shop for lunch. The incident has sparked outrage, with authorities calling for a peace meeting on March 2. Ilakal Tahsildar Amarish Pammar and police officials visited the scene to investigate.

Govt opens barber shop for Dalits in Gadag Village

In a significant move, the government has opened a barber shop in Shingatalaur village after upper-caste barbers refused to serve Dalits. The decision was taken after public outcry and reports of the issue were highlighted in the media.

The barber shop was inaugurated by officials from the Social Welfare Department, taluk administration and taluk panchayat along with Dalit organisations and the Shivasharan Hadapad Appanna Society. Basavaraj Hadapad, a resident of nearby Tippapur village, has been given the barber shop to run.

The move is seen as a step towards promoting social harmony and eradicating untouchability. Earlier, Dalits in the village were forced to travel to nearby towns for haircuts as upper-caste barbers refused to serve them, citing that the Veerabhadreshwara temple’s pallakhi (palanquin) visits the Hadapad households.