Dalit groups protest delay in arrest of Chikkamagaluru estate owner who assaulted woman

Though an FIR was filed several weeks ago and bail was rejected, the accused and his son have not been arrested, say protesters. The police have detained more than 20 people at the agitation.

Samrah Attar

A protest led by the Dalit Sanghatana Okkuta, questioning the lack of police action against a Chikkamagaluru coffee estate owner who allegedly assaulted a pregnant Dalit woman, entered its sixth day on Tuesday, November 1. The woman had suffered a miscarriage after the assault. The police have detained as many as 20 protesters at the agitation, which was launched by a group of Dalit organisations at Chikkamagaluru’s Azad Park on October 27. Citing the atrocities unleashed by the accused Jagadeesh Gowda on Dalit workers at his estate, the protesters have raised concerns about the police’s reluctance to arrest him.

“Jagadeesh Gowda is a man of influence and has connections with many senior police officers and MLAs. The FIR against him was filed several weeks ago and his bail was also rejected. But he and his son Tilak Gowda have not been arrested,” said Marale Annaiya, district convener of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (Ambedkar Vaada).

It was on October 8 that Arpitha, a 20-year-old Dalit woman employed as a daily wage labourer at his coffee estate, was allegedly assaulted by Jagadeesh Gowda. On the day, Jagadeesh had reportedly entered into an argument with her and 13 other employees over the money the latter had borrowed from him, and the situation had escalated into a physical altercation. Jagadeesh went on to seize their phones and forbade them from leaving the estate until they returned the money they had borrowed, according to Arpitha.

She said that an altercation broke out after she refused the estate owner’s demands, which angered him. He then shoved her against a wall, which led to her miscarriage. The incident took place at Pura village, close to Janugadde, in the Chikkamagaluru district. Jagadeesh has also been accused of cruelty against 14 Dalit labourers by imprisoning them in a room on his property.

Arpitha’s mother Geetha later approached the Balehonnur police station with a complaint against Jagadeesh, and he was charged under sections 504 (insulting), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 320 (grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code.

Courtesy : TNM

Note: This news piece was originally published in thenewsminute.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights .