Haryana: Fake pamphlets asking for ban on temple entry for Dalits distributed, police registers case

Shahpur Kalan village, Haryana

In order to instigate communal tensions, some unknown miscreants distributed fake pamphlets in Shahpur Kalan village falling under Sadar Thana area, Ballabgarh, Faridabad, Haryana asking for a ban on temple entry for Dalits, as per reports.

These pamphlets were found lying on the streets of Shahpur Kalan village barring the Dalits from entering the temples.

It spoke of a meeting which was scheduled to be organised on July 7 in the premises of the Mohanram temple. The meeting, it read, would be convened to discuss barring Dalits from entering temples and the procedure to purify the temples which had been frequented by Dalits until now. It specified names of 14 people who would convene the Panchayat (meeting).

On Monday, after people found their names mentioned on the pamphlet, they approached the police of the Sadar Thana and filed a written complaint against unknown miscreants who, with an intent to spread communal discord, had distributed such fake pamphlets. The local people, however, have also mentioned that these pamphlets were spread by mischief mongers since there is no such caste-divide in the village. A local resident even mentioned how there is no restriction on Dalits to enter the temple.

Another local resident also mentioned how there are no caste issues in the village. He said everyone lives in harmony in the village. “We live peacefully in harmony and we do not face any discrimination from anyone,” said Lal Charan, a resident of the village.

Devdutt Sharma, a resident said that some mischief mongers indulged in this for local sarpanch elections. “We have always lived in harmony,” he said. He also accused other people of Brahmin community of planting such fake pamphlets for destroying the harmony.

The police, in turn, registered a case against unknown miscreants. The preliminary investigation by the police has established that such pamphlets were put up to create an atmosphere that could lead to discord between the communities.

OpIndia Staff: Staff reporter at OpIndia