Mysuru: Over 25 families of the Nayaka community in Bommalapura village, Gundlupet taluk, have claimed they are facing a social boycott orchestrated by Congress workers of their community for voting for the BJP in the recent Gundlupet byelection.
"We need justice. People from not just our village but neighbouring villages too are not giving us jobs on daily wages," said a villager, Rajesha . "Other villagers are not being allowed to buy anything from our shops," complained another villager, Govindaraju.
"We are being treated like untouchables, and our children are being discriminated against in schools. Our life has become pathetic," lamented yet another villager, Jalendra.
One woman from the community, Chikkabasamma has lodged a complaint with the Gundlupet police, claiming she was assaulted by Congress supporters. While she and a few others, who have also been allegedly assaulted, are being treated at the Gundlupet government hospital, a woman, Basammanni from the
Congress supporters' group, has lodged a counter complaint, claiming she was assaulted while collecting water from a public tap. The police in investigating.
Standing by the villagers who are under attack, Mr C S Niranjankumar of the BJP accused the taluk administration of behaving like a puppet of the ruling
Congress and not responding to the people's complaints. "If this continues, we may have to stage a protest," he warned
However, when Congress MLA, Geetha Mahadevprasad, who was elected in the recent byelection in place of her late husband, H C Mahadevprasad, visited the village , the villagers reportedly denied boycotting the Nayakas, who had voted against her. They claimed that those who had made such complaints had locked the doors of their houses and left.
