Survey finds 19 kinds of caste discrimination against dalit panchayat presidents in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: A survey by the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF) has found 19 kinds of discrimination against panchayat presidents belonging to scheduled caste communities. It has found that not even a chair is in place for dalit panchayat presidents in 22 out the 386 panchayats surveyed.
Many dalit panchayat leaders are denied the right to hoist the national flag. They continue to face caste-based discrimination. The discriminations include denial of access to the local body office in some cases and denial of access to documents in some other cases. In some panchayats, the dalits presidents were not allowed to sit in his/her chair.
The survey was carried out in 24 districts. As many as 400 trained volunteers engaged to conduct the survey, which was based on questionnaires.
“The outcome of the survey is shocking as the panchayat presidents are not permitted to hoist the national flag when the nation is all set to celebrate its 75th Independence. Such a problem prevails in 20 panchayats,” said K Samuvel Raj of TNUEF after releasing the survey report in Chennai on Thursday.
The report is a tip of an iceberg on discrimination faced by the dalit panchayat presidents.
“It is sad to see that caste discrimination thrives till date in Tamil Nadu that entrenched with Periyar ideology. We appeal the government to create an exclusive mechanism to redress the grievances of the dalit panchayat presidents,” Samuvelraj said.
The forum would submit the report to the government and urge them to depute special officers to facilitate the panchayat presidents to unfurl the national flag on August 15.
“If the authorities failed to do so. We'll go ahead and facilitate them to hoist the flags on August 16,” he said.
He demanded that the government persecute Chinna Salem tahsildar under the provisions of the SC/ST Atrocities Act for holding an “illegal” peace talk and forcing woman dalit panchayat president of Kallakurichi’s Eduthavainatham panchayat V Sudha to agree to the casteist decision to allow the headmaster of the government to hoist the national flag on August 15.
A couple of days ago, Sudha petitioned the SP of Kallakurichi and sought police protection to facilitate her to hoist the national flag on the Independence Day. The 32-year-old panchayat leader said she was denied the rights last year.
“The silence of government officials over such discrimination is more shocking,” he said and expressed disappointment over inaction on the part of the Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar and ST Commission.