Priest Vishnu Kumar alleges that some local workers of the organization, which preaches harmony and Hindu unity, are adopting a casteist attitude and conspiring to usurp his ancestral temple.
Bhilwara – Amidst Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Dr. Mohan Bhagwat’s continued advocacy for “one temple, one well, one crematorium” and social harmony, a shocking incident has emerged from Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district. A Dalit priest has alleged that local RSS workers are conspiring to usurp his ancestral temple and attacked him with casteist slurs. The victim has personally written a letter to the Sarsanghchalak, requesting his intervention.
Vishnu Kumar, a resident of Barana village in Asind tehsil, stated in his letter that he is the priest of the “Shri Khakul Dev Ji” temple, which was established by his ancestors approximately 400 years ago. According to Vishnu Kumar, liquor businessman Sampat Jat, an active RSS volunteer, has been fomenting trouble against him since 2023.
It is alleged that on August 14, 2025, several RSS workers and villagers, led by Sampat Jat, entered the temple premises. Vishnu Kumar alleges, “They attacked us, beat us, and used casteist slurs. They forcibly placed a donation box in the temple and declared that Dalit priests would no longer be allowed to work there.” His father, Shravan Lal, and other family members were also beaten in the incident.
Due to the local BJP MLA Jabar Singh’s full support for these anti-Dalit RSS volunteers, no action was taken. Later, when Scheduled Caste organizations raised their voices, a police investigation was conducted. Even after the police investigation substantiated the allegations, the accused of Dalit harassment were not arrested and were allowed to roam freely. Ultimately, the accused obtained a stay on their arrest from the Rajasthan High Court and are now harassing us again.
Priest Vishnu Kumar
The victim reported that after the attack, local RSS workers intensified their efforts to take over the temple by forming a trust. Vishnu Kumar expressed concern that, despite the absence of a single Muslim family in the village, a mahapanchayat was held against the Dalits in the name of “Sakala Hindu Samaj.”
He directly questioned the Sarsanghchalak, saying, “You talk about harmony at the top, but your workers are doing the opposite.” Vishnu Kumar urged the RSS chief to stop the workers from snatching the temple from the Dalit priest and to urge the BJP government to return the temple to them.
Vishnu Kumar also accused the administration of inaction. He stated that despite a case being registered under the SC/ST Act and the allegations being proven during the investigation, the accused were not arrested. Instead, the accused have obtained a stay on arrest from the High Court and are now harassing them again.
The letter stated, “Using the pretext of a dispute created by casteist RSS volunteers, the BJP government in Rajasthan, with the help of BJP MLA Jabar Singh and the administration, has seized the Shri Khakul Dev Temple, our ancestrally built and private temple, from us Dalit priests by placing it under the Tehsildar’s control. Now, neither the police station, nor the Tehsildar, nor the administration, nor the court, nor the BJP government listens to us. Now, when we go to the temple and worship, this same RSS volunteer, Sampat Jat, and his entire group, file false complaints against us.” The priest also complained about the arbitrary actions of the local police station’s CI.
In his letter, priest Vishnu Kumar wrote, “I, Vishnu Kumar, currently a priest who considers myself a member of the Hindu community and performs puja at the Shri Khakul Dev Ji temple according to Hindu customs, have approached members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from Arshid to Bhilwara, expressing my pain. I told them that your educated volunteers are usurping the temple from me, a Dalit priest. However, no one listened. Therefore, I am compelled to write this letter to you. You speak for the entire Hindu community and advocate harmony. You are against caste discrimination, and the RSS is running a campaign for one well, one crematorium, one temple. However, the RSS volunteers have usurped my own temple from me, a Dalit priest, and now they want to implicate me and my family in false cases, send us to jail, and even kill us. Your volunteers are behaving in the exact opposite way to what you are saying above.
I humbly request you to stop terrorizing me in the name of the “total Hindu community,” and to stop the volunteers from Do not take the temple away from me, the Dalit priest, and ask the BJP government in Rajasthan to remove the receiver from the temple and hand it back to us Dalits, and allow police and legal action against the accused volunteers so that we can live as Hindus.”
Caste Violence in Rajasthan
The Dalit community in Rajasthan has long been the victim of social boycott, temple entry bans, and violent attacks. As of July 2025, the Rajasthan Police’s monthly report recorded 3,651 cases of atrocities against Dalits, including 44 murders and 325 rapes. The Meghvanshi community in the Asind region is particularly vulnerable to harassment, and the lack of effective action by the administration is further exacerbating this.
Geetha Sunil Pillai
Courtesy: Hindi News