Koppal (Karnataka): The parents of a Dalit boy were fined Rs 23,000 after the two-year-old entered a Hanuman temple at Miyapura village near Hanumasagar in Koppal district of Karnataka.
The toddler was taken to the temple by his father on his birthday. As members of the Dalit community here are unofficially not allowed inside the temples, they always pray from outside.
The father wanted to pray outside the temple but the toddler, all of a sudden, ran inside. The incident took place on September 4. The upper caste villagers tasked the parents to pay Rs 23,000 as fine, which they claimed was going to be spent on purification rituals in the temple.
Koppal SP T Sridhar said he visited the village. “The accused apologised to the boy’s father. The Dalit family refused to lodge a complaint,” he added.