Marukumbi village of Karnataka’s Koppal district has a caste-based division. Dalit people live on the right side of the main road and other caste people on the different side of the road. This situation was aggravated due to a recent judgment in a 2014 caste-related incident.
On October 24, 98 of the 101 accused were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Koppal district and sessions court bringing in the much-needed sense of justice to the Dalit community.
Dalit Houses were burned: A caste violence
On August 29, 2014, three houses belonging to Dalits were set on fire after a person belonging to the Bhovi community, an upper caste SC was assaulted outside a movie theatre. This led to a massive outbreak of Dalits being dragged out of their houses and assaulted. 30 people were reportedly injured in the incident. Moreover, in July 2015, when the key witness Veeresh, was expected to state the court, he was found dead.
During the ensuing riot, Dalits were dragged out of their houses and assaulted. Over 30 people were injured in the incident, according to the police.
Judgments over the years
After the mob attack, 30 people were found injured. In July 2015, The key witness was found dead on the day of the statement, being declared as ‘suicide’. As a result of this, Judge C Chandra Sekar, observed, “This matter appears to be a case of caste violence rather than an ordinary mob violence.”
The judgment on October 24, 2024, is portrayed as a ray of light for the Dalit communities, not just in Karnataka but all over India, where caste violence is still prevalent. In the recent judgment, 98 of 101 accused were sentenced to lifetime imprisonment by the Koppal district and sessions court.
Dalit mob case verdict: “Harsh” punishment, “unanticipated” punishment
The recent verdict has attracted both praise and criticism. Certain sections of the media are portraying the judgment as “harsh”. Dalit Sangarsha Samiti (DSS) Koppal district president Manjunath Dhoddamani says, “We welcome the judgment. Though the verdict did not make national headlines, we hope it will serve as a warning to the upper caste residents to treat us as their equals.” Pampathi, 48, whose house was set on fire in 2014, says he is happy to be “finally getting justice”. He was working in a field owned by an upper-caste family, in 2014 and expressed “Thankfully, my wife and children were unharmed,”.
On the opposite side, is complete shock, despair, and “unanticipated” verdict reaction.
The convicts’ family members are yet to come to terms with the recent judgment. Waiting for the men to harvest the ready crops, the family members are in despair saying “The men who were supposed to work on the crops are now in prison”.
