CPIM protest against caste discrimination in Udupi Sreekrishna Temple

On the call of the CPIM Karnataka State Committee protest was organised on 27th December against the Made Snana and discrimination over serving food to the devotess at Sri Krishna Temple in Udupi, Karnataka. After the 3 days of walk from Mangalore to Udupi the CPIM Comrades organised the public meet at Ajjarkad Ground near Udupi Sri Krishna Temple. The public meeting was inaugrated by Com.Sriram Reddy, CPIM state Secretary. Com. B.Madav, Maruti Manpade, VJK Nayar, GN Nagaraj, Nityananda Swamy, Prasanna Kumar and several other State Committee members addressed the cadres and gathered people on issue. 

Later the huge protestors rally marched towards the Sri Krishna Temple and P B Member Comrade M A Baby  addressed the gathering. The protestors were on their march towards Car Street and then on to Sri Krishna Temple, when they were stopped by the police near Sanskrit College.  

The policeman suddenly began lathicharging the protestors, where many of the Comrades got injured and admitted to the Hospital and Hundreds of people got arrested.

The activists were protesting against the discrimination of devotees while serving food at Kukke Subramanya and Sri Krishna temples and also the madesnana ritual in which people, mostly Dalits roll over plantain leaves on which Brahmins have partaken meals.In both these temples, brahmins and non-brahmins are served food separately.

Earlier a padayatra was flagged off in Mangalore by the Religious Head of Nidumamidi Mahasamsthana Math, Bangalore Shree Veerabhadra Channamalla Swamiji on December 24.

Dakshin Kannada District Secretary of CPI(M) B Madhava, Sunil Kumar Bajal, Muneer Katipalla, K Shanker, Vasanth Acharya, Srirama Reddy and more than 3,000 CPI(M) members participated in the padayatra. 

Before the flag off of the padayatra in Mangalore, the CPI(M) members staged a protest against the inhuman act of Made Madesnana in front of the DC office. Shree Veerabhadra Channamalla Swamiji said that the Made Madesnana is nothing but discrimination of lower caste by the upper caste. There is a belief that if anyone roll over the left overs one will be cured from skin diseases. There is also a belief that prayers will be answered, and childless couples will be blessed with children. Opposing such beliefs the Swamiji had said that there is absolutely no cure for any skin diseases but chances are very high to be infected with skin disease if anyone rolls over the leftovers. 

A vehicle rally was also conducted as part of the agitation. A vehicle jatha from Byndoor to Kundapur to create awareness against ‘Made Snana’ and discrimination in mass feeding on Monday December 24. Speaking after flagging off the jatha, CPI (M) district secretary K Shankar said that the discrimination in mass feeding along with caste discrimination has been highly followed in Udupi Shree Krishna Mutt. 

(Photos Courtesy : Dajjiworld, Mangalorean)