Hassan: Hassan superintendent of police and other police officials were injured after a group of people threw stones at them in a scuffle over the entry of dalits into a temple in Sigaranahalli village of the taluk on Friday.

Puja and other rituals in the temple were stopped after dalits and uppercastes indulged in a clash six months ago after the former entered the Basaveshwara temple in the village leading to a tense situation. The administration had to intervene and dalits were allowed to enter the temple.

The dalits made a request to the district administration to allow them to perform puja on Saturday in the fair of Durgaparameshwari deity at Hariharapura, close to Singaranahalli for which the uppercastes had made the preparations. That led to a tense situation again for which additional police forces were deployed at the village which annoyed the uppercastes.

Nine people were injured when a group of people pelted stones on police officers and other officials who were at Singaranahalli on Friday morning. Five constables and four others got injured. Superintendent of Police Rahul Kumar Shahapurwad who later visited the village also got injured.