Caste tension runs high in Madurai’s village

MADURAI: After a few caste Hindus threw stones at the residences of some Dalits in Panniyan village on Monday evening, heavy police force has been deployed in the village. Nearly 25 houses and four vehicles were damaged and a few Dalits suffered minor injuries. The police have registered a case against 17 caste Hindus and arrested six of them in connection with the incident.

According to sources, on Monday evening, an altercation broke out between some local caste Hindu youth and Dalits. Following this, the caste Hindus allegedly started hurling stones on the houses of the Dalits, damaging some houses and vehicles. Fearing for their lives, women and children fled to a nearby hill.
J Raji (25) of Panniyan village, said that after they realised that caste Hindus were throwing stones, they started running to the hill and returned only when it became dark. “Many aged people and children were hurt when we fled for safety,” she recalled.

The Dalits further said that the caste Hindus had had a dispute with them during the Kaliamman Temple festival. “They did not let us take the molapari for Kaliamman. Though they collect equal taxes for the temple from us, they do not let us enjoy equal rights. They told us not to wear silk sarees and gold jewellery while worshiping at the temple. They do not allow our children to go to the balvadi with their children, they said.

The Dalits also charged that they were not allowed to use the path leading to the burial ground if a person from their families died. “They do not let us take water from the common tap,” they alleged. They claimed that around 50 houses were damaged as against the 25 claimed by the district administration, in Monday’s incident.

The caste Hindus, however, claimed that the charges were false. Staging a road roko in front of the police station, they demanded the release of all the detained people. Commenting on the claims by the Dalits, police officials said that the issues had not been brought to their notice so far. If we were approached, we would have checked it out and taken appropriate action, they said. A senior police official said that they had arrested six persons and booked a case against the caste Hindus under the SC/ST Act.