Dalit groom prays at temple near Ambedkar's birthplace in police presence

Indore: A groom from the Dalit community had to offer prayers at a Lord Ram temple, located near Dr B R Ambedkar’s birthplace, in police presence after an argument between two groups in a village here.

The incident took place on Monday, when the country celebrated the birth anniversary of the Constitution’s chief architect and social reformer Ambedkar, a revered figure among Dalits who was born on April 14, 1891 at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district.

As per accounts provided by eyewitnesses and videos on social media, the groom, who arrived at the temple in Sanghvi village, 25 km from Mhow, with his marriage procession and guests, offered prayers at the temple along with a few of his family members in the presence of police.

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The police, however, denied claims that the Dalit man was prevented from entering the temple, and asserted there was an argument between two groups over entering the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine, where only priests are allowed as per local traditions.

Some videos of the incident have surfaced on social media. In one of the videos, the groom is seen standing outside the temple with his marriage procession and ‘baraatis’ (guests) arguing with the other side, said to be members of a privileged caste.

After a controversy erupted, police issued a statement clarifying the entire episode.

“A rumour that a Dalit groom was prevented from entering the temple in Sanghvi village in the Betma police station area is being circulated on social media, which is misleading. The groom and his family went to the temple and prayed. After this, the wedding procession was taken out peacefully,” statement said.

On receiving information about the argument between the wedding party members and the other group, a police team reached the spot and resolved the issue by convincing people of both the sides regarding entering the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, it said.

After offering prayers at the temple, the wedding procession left for its destination, the statement said.

Betma police station in-charge Meena Karnawat told PTI, “In Sanghvi village, no one stopped the groom from a Scheduled Caste to enter the temple. The ‘baraati’ side was talking about entering the temple’s sanctum sanctorum, where according to local traditions, only priests are allowed. No devotee goes inside the sanctum sanctorum of this temple.”

The groom belonged to the Balai community.

Manoj Parmar, president of the All India Balai Mahasangh, said, “Due to the frustrated mentality of some people, our community still has to face caste discrimination in rural areas. The groom from the Dalit community was able to offer prayers at the temple under police protection after nearly two hours of argument.”

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