Days after Hamirpur temple purification incident, a large number of Dalits in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district have threatened to embrace Islam after being denied entry into a Hindu temple to offer prayers.

The incident was reported from Panchgaon Patti village in Meerut. A few Dalit women, belonging to Valmiki Samaj, had gone to a 50-year-old temple to offer prayers on Sunday but they were denied entry by the priest on the ground that Dalits were not allowed to pray in the temple.

“Women were told that they are Dalits not Hindus and will not be allowed to offer prayers at a Hindu temple. They may go to their own Valmiki temples,” alleged Deepak Valmiki.

Another villager Satish Valmiki said that the order to deny entry to Dalits in the temple was enforced when a new priest joined a few months ago. “We were going to the temple earlier but now the new priest does not allow us to offer prayers there,” alleged Valmiki.

When a Dalits in the village tried to reason out with the priest, he abused and threatened them with dire consequences if anyone of them tried to come near the temple. The priest also lodged a fake complaint at the Bhawanpur Police Station against few dalits of the village, having a population of over 100 dait families.

Agitated Valmiki Samaj members met the SSP Meerut Rajesh Kumar Pandey and threatened to embrace Islam if they were not allowed to offer prayers in the temple. The SSP assured dalits to initiate action against the priest or anyone who tried to stop them entering temple.

“A probe has been ordered and the police will initiate action against anyone who tried to stop them offering prayers in the temple. A few police men have been posted at the temple to ensure that everyone is allowed entry into the temple,” said the SSP.

SR Darapuri, a retired IPS officer and a dalit human right activist said that it was violation of basic fundamental rights of dalits and showed how they were being discriminated under the BJP government, led by Yogi Adityanath.

Earlier, a temple in Raath area of Hamirpur was purified with ‘Gangajal’ and deities were sent to Prayag (Allahabad) for a holy dip in Sangam water when a Dalit BJP woman MLA Manisha Anuragi had entered a Mahabharat-era temple to offer prayers.