All hell broke lose after a photo of a dalit panchayat president forced to sit on the floor went viral on social media. While Rajeswari, president of Therkuthittai village panchayat in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu is seen sitting on the floor, the others are sitting on chairs during a meeting of the panchayat board. She was elected to the post of president in January 2020. Rajeshwari has alleged that she was forced to sit on the floor during all the meetings.
As photos of Rajeswari sitting on the floor during a meeting held on July 17 went viral on social media, the district administration swung into action on Saturday. A case under various sections of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act has been filed against vice-president Mohan Raj and the panchayat secretary Sindhuja, who has been placed under suspension.
District Collector Chandra Sekhar Sakhamuri and Cuddalore District Superintendent of Police M Sree Abhinav held discussions with the panchayat president and are investigating the incident.
Therkuthittai village consists of around 500 families who are mostly Vanniyars and 100 households from the SC community. The incident comes to light within two months of a dalit panchayat president in Tiruvallur district, Chennai who was not allowed to unfurl the national flag on Independence Day.
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