Gujarat: 13 cases of denial of entry to Dalits at temples in 5 years

Gandhinagar: Gujarat government today told the Legislative Assembly that at least 13 cases of Dalits being denied entry to a temple were registered in the state in last five years.

Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar had sought district-wise information of such cases.

In a written reply, Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, who handles the Home department, stated that as of June 2015, 13 such cases were recorded in eight districts in the last five years.

Three cases were registered in Bharuch, two each in Anand, Porbandar and Gir-Somnath and one each in Ahmedabad, Surendranagar, Mahisagar and Banaskantha districts.

In all these case, where complaints were filed by people belonging to Scheduled Castes, the police arrested the accused and filed charge-sheets, she said.

Congress leader Kumari Selja had last year claimed during a discussion in the Parliament that she was asked about her caste when she visited a temple in Dwarka in Gujarat as a Union Minister during the previous UPA rule.