December 04, 2004
KATHMANDU: At least a dozen people were injured, three of them seriously, when Dalit activists and ‘upper-caste’ people engaged in fisticuffs when the later tried to bar Dalits from entering a temple (Hindu) in Bharatpur Municipality Saturday.
Reports said the scuffle began when the ‘upper-caste’ people present at the Laxmi Benkateshwor Temple premises barred Dalit activists from going inside for puja.
Reports also said that human rights activist Krishna Pahadi and Dalit leader Padam Lal B.K who were leading the Dalit group had requested the non-Dalits to allow at least one Dalit member to go inside the temple.
Both sides clashed for nearly two hours from around 2:00 p.m. The Daliits have been demanding for permission to perform puja at the temple for a long time. but the ‘upper-caste’ people were against it, reports added.
The injured persons have been undergoing treatment at a local hospital.