Residents of Bapparagi village in Hunsagi taluk of Yadgir district after a ‘peace meeting’ on Friday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT The Narayanapur police on Saturday registered a case against 10 persons, including three women, on the charge of insulting a Dalit woman at Bapparagi village in Hunsagi taluk of Yadgir district on September 12. The accused have been named as Shankaragouda, Chandappa, Eranna, Yallalinga, Muddamma, Erabayi, Basanth, Ashok, Bandappa, and Shantavva. The police said that on September 12, when the woman went to purchase groceries, the accused insulted her by naming her caste, and the female shop owner, who is also accused in the case, denied her groceries. According to reports, this is the latest twist in a saga that began on August 12, when the Dalit woman filed a complaint that her minor daughter was raped by a member of the ‘upper caste’ community after he had promised to marry her. The woman complained that he later reneged on his promise. Following the complaint, the Narayanapur police on August 12 registered a case against the accused, identified as Chandrasekhar, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO), and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and arrested him.Following this, the ‘upper caste’ community allegedly decided to carry out a “social boycott” against members of the Dalit community in the village and instructed grocery shops, hotels, and flour mill owners not to conduct any business with Dalits, according to reports.Following reports of the boycott, a police team and officers of the Social Welfare and the Women and Child Development Departments on Friday went to the village and held a ‘peace meeting’. “We visited the village as per instructions of the Deputy Commissioner and talked with all community members and convinced them that such incidents should not repeat,” Assistant Commissioner of Yadgir sub-division Hampanna Sajjan said. After lengthy discussion, members of both communities shook hands and agreed to lead a peaceful life in the village. “I told them about the legal consequences if the Dalit communities were subjected to a social boycott. In fact, it was not a social boycott, but a misunderstanding between women. We have also deployed police in the village to ensure the protection of Dalits,” Superintendent of Police G. Sangeetha told The Hindu. The situation in the village is peaceful and under control, she said. Meanwhile, Dalit organisation have demanded legal action against those who insulted the Dalit woman on Saturday and also demanded compensation of 10 acres of land and ₹50 lakh for the minor victim in the rape case. Leader of the Opposition in Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy condemned the incident and said that he would visit the family on September 17. Published – September 15, 2024 07:00 am IST