Dalit man abused with caste slurs outside Mumbai temple, family booked
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Mumbai: A Dalit man was allegedly subjected to caste-based abuse by members of an upper caste family outside the Omkareshwar Mahadev Temple in Malad West’s Malwani area. The incident reportedly took place on June 28, when the 45-year-old complainant and the temple trust head, Mithilesh Singh, were installing a "No Parking" sign near the temple premises.
According to the complaint, local resident Sonu Upadhyay began hurling casteist slurs at the complainant during the sign installation. Singh alleged in his statement that the Upadhyay family has a history of misbehaving with the complainant and that both Sonu and his parents, Omkarnath and Parvati Upadhyay, verbally assaulted him. They allegedly questioned his right to be at the temple on the basis of his caste background.
“This kind of casteist and discriminatory behaviour is shameful. We are in the 21st century,” the complainant stated, adding that the hostility stemmed from the temple’s opening day puja being performed by a Dalit family. He further claimed that the abuse is part of a pattern of harassment from the Upadhyay family. “Four years ago, when the temple was being built, people from all castes and religions came together to help. But the fact that a Harijan family conducted the opening puja has remained a sore point for the Upadhyays,” he added.
Mithilesh Singh, president of the Omkareshwar Mahadev Temple foundation, confirmed that the victim regularly visits the temple and contributes through voluntary service.
Following the complaint, a case has been registered against Sonu Upadhyay and his parents under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Meanwhile, Omkarnath Upadhyay has denied all allegations, insisting that the confrontation arose purely over a parking-related dispute. “No one in my family used casteist language. We have video footage to prove our innocence, and we will submit it to the police when asked,” he said.