Chikkamagaluru: Leaders of Uppar community have excommunicated a family (of their own community) because a boy of that family married a Dalit girl. This social boycott has been imposed on the family of one Somashekar at Sahyadripura near Lingadahalli. Somashekar of Uppar community had married a girl belonging to the dalit community of the same village.

After the marriage, the couple moved to Bengaluru to eke out their livelihood. With the outbreak of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, the couple returned to the village. But upper caste village leaders have barred the family from entering the temple and asked the priest not to accept worship offerings from the family members.

Other families have been warned of being slapped with a penalty of Rs 5,000 if they talk to the boycotted family. Fences have been erected around their fields to prevent the families from entering. Members of Somashekar’s family are also forbidden from taking part in village festivals.

On Thursday, Somashekar, along with Bajrang Dal leader Tudukur Manju met Additional Deputy Commissioner BR Roopa and submitted a memorandum seeking justice on this issue.