Some Dalit community people, supporting Daulat Kunwar’s movement to ensure entry of the Dalit community in the temples in the Chakrata region and Silgur Devta Temple committee members backed by some upper caste people fought each other at a meeting convened by the district magistrate Ravinath Raman. The meeting was called to end the caste-tension running in the area.later, the Dalit community people walked out of the meeting in anger over the upper caste people allegedly stone-walling their demand.
Tension simmering over the issue, police has remained deployed at the temple area to maintain peace.
DM Ravinath Raman claimed that situation in the area is normal and fully under control. There is no ban on entry of any person in the temple, he said. “However, a committee comprising SDM, Tehsildar and Pradhans who are from the Dalit community have been formed and it would look into any complaint that comes from the Dalit community people over the temple entry issue,” he said, adding that some persons are trying to get political mileage out of the extremely sensitive matter.
He said he is interacting with the local devotees and temple committee members. “They say they have no objection to the Dalits entering the temple,” DM said. However, they add that they would not allow any body to milk the issue politically.
The administration sources said that despite the followers of Daulat Kunwar having walked out of the meeting, the administrative officials are trying to involve them again in the dialogue to thaw the frost in the inter-community relation.
However, there are hiccups in the way of prompt resolution of the problem. The local residents, mostly from the upper caste, are insisting that everyone should follow the tradition enduring for ages. “We would not allow anybody to do away with the tradition by bringing drums and the like. We love to offer prayers silently. Other interested to do puja in the temple must follow the tradition that has been running for ages,” one of the locals said.
Observers say that the militant section of the Dalit community spearheading the movement are most unlikely to accept the conditions being put by the temple committee members for their entry. “If they do the problem would be solved and they would have nothing left to them to keep the fire of animosity even smouldering,” an observer said.