Police stop three Dalit ministers at Mysuru Palace Dasara puja; Karnataka CM orders probe
The opposition says the ministers were singled out for being Dalit; the Deputy CM says police may only have been enforcing security limits.
- Hindustan Times
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday ordered an inquiry after police stopped three Dalit ministers at Mysuru Palace during the Nandi Dhvaja pūjā, Hindustan Times reported. Superintendent of Police C.B. Rishyanth stopped ministers Shivaraj Tangadagi, P.M. Narendraswamy and K.S. Basavanthappa, who were following the Chief Minister for the ritual that precedes the Dasara procession on Wednesday.
Shivakumar intervened and the ministers were allowed in. "I am the Culture Minister," Tangadagi told the officer, according to a video of the exchange that circulated widely.
The Chief Minister asked Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh to investigate, identify the officers responsible and report, calling the incident "extremely serious" and the conduct "condemnable". His office named a fourth minister, H.C. Balakrishna, as having been stopped, though he does not appear in the video.
Basavanthappa said the ministers had not been told of any restriction on their movement. Leader of the Opposition in the Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy asked whether the ministers were stopped "solely because they are Dalits", and BJP leader R. Ashoka asked whether the officer acted on instructions from above.
The JD(S) accused the Congress of treating Dalits as a vote bank. Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara called it "cheap thinking" to assign a caste motive before the facts are known and said police may have been told to let no one but the CM beyond a point.
Key data
3 ministers seen in the video; the CMO named 4. The incident took place on 21 Oct, the day of the Jamboo Savari.
Why it matters
Who may stand where during a state-run Hindu ritual has become a test of caste equality inside the Dharmic fold, not outside it. The inquiry's findings will matter for how future state religious events handle protocol.
GK: did you know?
Article 17 of the Constitution abolishes "untouchability" and forbids its practice in any form.
