Shepherds Seek Guns For Safety | Hubballi News – Times of India

Hubballi: Members of Sri Kanaka Seva Samiti and other organizations took out a procession and staged a dharna in front of the tahsildar’s office on Wednesday, seeking protection for shepherds.
A woman shepherd was allegedly sexually abused and murdered at Yaraguppi village in Kundagol taluk recently. This incident has sent shock waves among the people of the community. “Rearing sheep is our occupation, which involves wandering from one place to another. Both men and women are both involved in this occupation. The recent killing of a shepherd woman has exposed that we don’t have proper security. We strongly condemned this heinous act. Taking this case seriously, the state government should take measures to curb exploitation of shepherds, and prevent assault on women. The government should also give permission to shepherds to possess guns and rifles to protect our lives,” the protesters said.
They also demanded the government announce a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the family of a shepherd woman who was killed recently.
They said that ST status should be accorded to the Kuruba community.
A memorandum addressed to the chief minister Basavaraj Bommai was submitted to the tahsildar.

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