In the past five months, there have been eight incidents against the Dalit community in Tenkasi district.
Chennai/Tenkasi—Anti-Dalit violence has once again sparked political turmoil in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. Seven Scheduled Caste (SC) members were severely injured with sickles in two separate attacks in Tenkasi and Tirunelveli districts within the past 48 hours. This incident has brought back memories of the brutality that occurred in Perumpattu village two to three months ago, where two innocent Dalits were murdered. PMK leader and former Union Minister Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss criticized the state government, calling it a failure and warning that such a situation must not be allowed to reoccur, threatening to escalate social unrest in the tense southern districts.
What happened in two districts
Nine masked miscreants arrived on three two-wheelers on Mathakovil Street in Nethur village, near Alangulam in Tenkasi district, between 5:30 and 6:00 pm on Friday. The miscreants’ vehicles did not have number plates. Without any provocation, they took out sickles and indiscriminately attacked people standing on the street. Most of the residents on this street belong to the Scheduled Caste (SC-Christian) community.
Six people from Nethur village and one from Ayikudi town were injured in the attack. One injured person was treated at a local hospital, while five others were referred to Alangulam Government Hospital and then to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital in critical condition. According to doctors, two of the injured remain in critical condition.
A similar attack occurred in Mannarkovil village, near Ambasamudram in Tirunelveli district. Here, an armed gang attacked a young man named Manikandan, belonging to the Scheduled Caste, with sickles. Manikandan has been hospitalized in critical condition. Locals allege that the police have yet to take any concrete action in the case.
Social tension is prevalent in the southern districts, including Nellai and Tenkasi. Even minor disputes can escalate into violent violence. Keeping this in mind, the Tamil Nadu government should ensure that no social conflict or tension arises in the southern districts.
– Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss
Perumpattu Massacre: A Three-Month-Old Brutality Revisited
It is noteworthy that on March 2nd, a gang of nine drunken individuals committed inhumane violence in Perumpattu village near Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district. The gang brutally murdered two innocent people and seriously injured six others. At that time, the incident sparked widespread outrage across the state and prolonged tension in the southern districts.
Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss said in an official statement, “Reports of seven people being seriously injured in separate attacks on Scheduled Caste people by armed gangs in Nethur village in Tenkasi district and Mannarkovil village near Ambasamudram in Tirunelveli district are extremely shocking. The government’s failure to prevent such violence in these tense southern districts is condemnable.”
Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss said, “The government should have learned a lesson after what happened in Perumpattu two or three months ago. But today the same situation is arising again. The government must now prevent a recurrence of such violence.”
He further said, “The government should not allow any social unrest to fester. Even minor disputes in the southern districts can escalate into major tragedies. The state government and district administrations must restore normalcy in the attacked villages with immediate effect.”
In addition to Dr. Ramadoss, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) also strongly condemned the incident. Party state secretary P. Shanmugam alleged that eight incidents against the Dalit community have occurred in Tenkasi district in the past five months. He said, “It is extremely shocking that such a brutal and deadly attack was carried out on Dalit youth in Tenkasi. The police have not taken any action so far, but have instead tried to suppress the matter through their traditional mediation.”
Meanwhile, Ambedkarite organizations have begun protests demanding immediate arrests. They say that if the culprits are not punished soon, they will launch a statewide movement.
Geetha Sunil Pillai
Courtesy: Hindi News