Dalit elder assaulted for entering temple in northern India
Attack in Uttar Pradesh highlights deep-rooted caste discrimination and recurring violence against lower caste Dalits in Hindu-majority villages
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A 70-year-old Dalit man was beaten and humiliated inside a Hindu temple in northern India, exposing once again the entrenched caste hierarchies and violence faced by marginalized communities in rural parts of the country.
The incident occurred in Madnapur, a small village in Shahjahanpur district of Uttar Pradesh state, when Nanhuku Jatav, a Dalit elder, entered the local temple to pray. A man from the same village allegedly ordered him to leave, saying people of his caste were not allowed to sit inside. When Jatav refused, the attacker reportedly struck him, slapped him, and hit him with shoes.
According to Jatav’s statement to police, the man also hurled caste slurs and threatened to shoot him while brandishing a pistol. “He waved the gun and said he would kill me. I somehow ran home to save my life,” Jatav said in his complaint. He later approached the Madnapur police station with his wife to file a formal case and requested protection.
Under India’s centuries-old caste hierarchy, Dalits — once referred to as “untouchables” — are considered outside the four-tiered social order and viewed by upper castes as “impure.” For centuries, Dalits were banned from Hindu temples, public wells, and schools, with any attempt to enter such spaces often met with violence. Though outlawed after India’s independence, the practice continues in many villages where caste boundaries remain rigid.
Local residents said caste atrocities have been rising in the region, but police rarely act decisively against perpetrators. Members of the Dalit community protested the latest assault, demanding immediate arrest of the accused and stronger enforcement of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Police said an investigation is underway. “We have received the complaint, and necessary action will be taken after proper inquiry,” said Station Officer Vishwa Jeet Pratap Singh.
The incident underscores how centuries-old caste prejudice continues to shape daily life in large parts of India, even as the government claims to uphold social equality and modernization.
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