Kattemad agitation
On 27 December 2024, Kodava devotees belonging to Kattemad village in Madikeri taluk in Kodagu district, Karnataka were violated the temple protocols of the Sree Maha Mrithyunjaya Temple in their village and temple management refused entry beacuse the temple is having its own dressing rules. Some kodavas wearing their traditional attire - sari for women and kupya chele (kuppiya chele) for men - by a few temple managers .[1][2] There has been extensive news coverage about the incident and its aftermath ever since.
Background
[edit]A discriminatory bylaw had been made in the recent past without regard to ancestral practise to bar those wearing the Kodava dress.[1][3] The temple committee, predominantly comprising members of the Arebhase Gowda community, had enforced a dhoti-only dress code, leading to tension between both communities.[4]
Incident
[edit]Scores of Kodava community members, including women in traditional attire, were prevented from entering the Mrithyunjaya temple of their village by individuals from the Arebhase Gowda community claiming to represent the temple management.[3][5] They were told by the accused individuals of the Arebhase Gowda community to either remove their traditional dress or leave the premises.[3][5] It was claimed that the temple's by-law prohibited the traditional attire, but the Kodava community members vehemently denied it.[5] The video footage went viral on social media and drew criticism for the disrespect to the Kodava community.[5]
Aftermath
[edit]Virajpet Kodava Samaja's honorary secretary Maletira Srinivas accused politically motivated individuals of attempting to strip the Kodavas of their rights and insulting Kodava women.[5] He had announced a peaceful 'Kattemad Chalo' protest during a press conference on the 28th of December, 2024.[6]
The local MLAs A. S. Ponnanna and Mantar Gowda and the local MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar appealed to the people for peace.[5][6][7] Police were deployed as Kodavas gathered to protest.[1]
The Arebhashe Gowda Samaja Federation held a meeting to defend the decision to bar those in Kodava attire from the temple.[8] The Arebhashe Gowda leaders among them, Surtale Somanna, Periyana Dayananda, and Ambekal Naveen Kushalappa, pretended to represent everybody at the temple but actually spoke only for their Samaja in Madikeri town.[8]
Kodavas protested this discrimination on social media.[1] The district administration imposed Section 163 of BNSS within a 5-km radius of the village temple till 2 January 2025.[9][8] Many Kodava organisations planned to participate in a procession to Kattemad.[8]
One report says that there were 100 personnel deployed, including Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and District Armed Forces within the temple premises, along with police patrols.[3] Another report stated that around 300 police personnel were deployed around the temple and two KSRP platoons were stationed on the road leading to the temple on the 30th of December, 2024.[10]
Arrests and protests
[edit]A peaceful vehicle rally was planned from Ponnampet to Kattemad in the morning without roadblocks, but the police prevented it by arresting and engaging the organisers.[3] Early in the morning of 30 December 2024, members of the Kodava Riders Club and Kodava residents were arrested in Ponnampet as a preventive measure.[2][10] Ponnampet is around 30 kilometres from Kattemad. Among the arrested were three leaders and at least 20 residents who attempted a rally to Kattemad.[4]The detained Kodava leaders of the peace rally were Ajjikuttira Prithvi Subbaiah, Chammattira Praveen Uthappa and Sannuvanda Darshan Kaverappa.[10]
At least one report claims that hundreds of supporters along with the rally organisers were pre-emptively detained from their houses and villages in Ponnampet taluk and transported in police buses to Kushalnagar and other areas, deported far away from their native villages to prevent the rally.[3] According to the police, about 50 people had been detained by the Ponnampet police.[10]
In response to the whimsical detentions, a total bandh was organised in Hudikeri town in the morning and the police were demanded to release all those arrested.[3] Protests were held by residents in Ponnampet, Hudikeri, Gonikoppa, and Napoklu opposing the arrests that day.[2] Residents in Ponnampet, Hudikeri, Murnad, and Gonikoppa observed partial shutdowns to protest the restrictions on Kodavas.[4] Protesters gathered at the Ponnampet Police Station and were seen arguing with the police to release those detained.[3] As protests erupted across Kodagu district, the Kodava protesters blocked the roads in several locations including Virajpet, Hudikeri, B Shettigeri, Ponnampet, and Napoklu.[7]
The district administration arranged a peace meeting between Kodava and Gowda leaders on that evening.[2] The arrested Kodavas were later released that day.[2] The district administration has given 6 January 2025 as the deadline for sorting out the issue.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Service, Express News (28 December 2024). "Two communities clash over choice of attire during temple festival in Kodagu". The New Indian Express. New Indian Express. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Service, Express News (30 December 2024). "Kodava-Gowda temple committee to arrive on decision over traditional attire by January 6". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Ban orders in Kodagu village over Temple entry dispute". Star of Mysore. 30 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Jan 6 deadline to sort out Kodagu temple dress code row". The Times of India. 30 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Tension at Maha Mrithyunjaya Temple, Kattemad: Kodagu MLAs, MP call for community peace, restraint". Star of Mysore. 29 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ a b "EXPLAINED: Why Prohibitory Orders Were Imposed In Kodagu Over Temple Entry Dress Code Row". The Kodagu Express. Kodagu Express Bureau. 30 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Kodava Protests Erupt in Kodagu Over Temple Dress Code Dispute". The Kodagu Express. Kodagu Express Bureau. 30 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Restriction around Mrityunjaya temple in Kodagu to maintain peace". The Times of India. 29 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ "Row over dress code: Ban orders in Kodagu village". The Hindu. The Hindu Bureau. 29 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Heavy police presence at Kattemadu temple after dispute over imposition of dress code - Public TV English". 30 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.