16 Dalit People In Karnataka Locked Up In Coffee Plantation

In the Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka, Jagadeesha Gowda, a fervent BJP supporter, has been charged for locking up 16 Dalits for days in his coffee plantation. They claim to have been tortured.

The police claimed that one of them was a pregnant woman who lost her unborn child as a result of the assault. The woman is being treated at the district hospital, and a police report has been filed. In accordance with the law, a case has been filed against Jagadeesha Gowda and his son Tilak Gowda for crimes against Dalits.

According to the police, both are missing and a search is underway. The BJP has cut ties with the individual. The district spokeswoman for the party denied rumours that he is the party's head. Varasiddhi Venugopal remarked that Jagadeesh is neither a party employee nor a member. He merely backs the BJP. He is a voter just like everyone else.

The fatalitieses were day labourers at the Jenugadde village coffee farm. According to the authorities, they borrowed 9 lakh rupees from the owner. They were imprisoned after they were unable to pay back the loan.

A senior police official stated on October 8 that a few individuals went to the Balehonnur police station and said that Jagadeesh Gowda was torturing their family. However, they withdrew the grievance later that day.

According to the officer, the pregnant woman was admitted to the local hospital the next day and a new complaint was made to the Chikkamagaluru police chief. After the SP referred the case to them, they registered a First Information Report.

The officer looking into the issue verified that during his visit to the scene, he had observed at least 8–10 people being kept imprisoned in a room. After the owner was questioned by the police, they were freed.

The officer added that in previous 15 days saw them under house arrest. There are four families totaling 16 individuals, all of them are from scheduled castes. The complaint claims that all 16 were kept under house arrest.

Meanwhile, the workers had taken out loans from Jagadeesha Gowda, according to Chikkamagaluru district Superintendent of Police Uma Prashanth. According to the complaint made by the families of the victims, some of the men who took out loans had already left their homes, so the owner kept the other men locked up.