Escorted by the police: ‘discriminated against generations’
Historical day for five Indians of a family belonging to the Casta dei Dalit, “The untouchables”, considered the lowest level of the Hindu and “Impuri” Castal hierarchy, which today, for the first time for decades, have been able to enter a temple close to their village, in the state of western Bengal, 150 kilometers from the capital, Kolkata, thanks to a imposing police cordon that protected them.
Access to the Temple of Shiva, to which the five were accompanied by volunteers, was guaranteed after themselves reported the discrimination to the District Administration.
“For generations”, they said, “in spite of the rules of the Constitution that prohibits any type of discrimination on a castling basis, every time we approached, we were blocked by the priests. The sixteen steps upward today mark an epochal passage for us; we hope that the tradition has been broken forever and to be able to return to pray without suffering violence”.
