Mangalore : A few members of the Dalit community who spoke to media persons after attending the SC ST Grievance meet at the Police Commissioner’s office on January 27, Sunday, alleged that they were being discriminated on the basis of their caste and have been asked to stay away from a public tap at their place of stay Basavaranagar, Marakada near Kavoor, by some members of the Lingayat community.

Shivu, one of the affected person alleged that some people asked them to stay away from the tap citing their lower caste and also abused them in case they went near the tap to secure water. Shivu further said that they used the public tap occasionally when the taps in their homes go dry sometimes.

Others with him namely Hemanappa, Mallikarjuna, Manju and Bharath had come to air their grievances at the  meeting, one of them Mallikarjuna alleged that a certain Basavaraju had  even entered his house and misbehaved with his wife. Though an FIR has been lodged and the police say one person has been arrested, the aggrieved group seem to be not pleased with the action taken so far.

Earlier, at the meeting, Dalit leader Krishnappa Konchady  urged for steps to see to it that the names of Dalit females who are victims of sexual violence are not mentioned in newspapers.