An FIR has been filed against an elderly woman and her family for obstructing Dalit students from using a "public path" in Thanjavur; villagers were forced to walk 1.5 km.
Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu: Local police have filed a case against an elderly woman and her family for obstructing Dalit students from using a “public path.” They are accused of allegedly preventing a group of students belonging to the Dalit community from using a nearby public path.
The obstruction is visible in the video.
The incident occurred on Friday morning in Kollangarai village in Thanjavur taluk. A video that surfaced on social media clearly shows some students wearing school uniforms and carrying school bags walking through a street. An elderly woman, holding a stick in her hand, steps in to stop them. She shouts, warning them not to use that path.
Police launch investigation
Given the seriousness of the matter, a senior Thanjavur taluk police official confirmed that an FIR has been registered. “An FIR has been registered against the woman and her family members. However, no arrests have been made so far. The investigation is ongoing,” the official told news agency PTI on Saturday.
Dispute over ‘vehicle route’
Villagers complained that they were being prevented by family members from using the common path, locally known as ‘vandi pathai’ or ‘vehicle route’. Previously, villagers alleged that they were forced to take a longer route. They had to travel an additional distance of approximately 1.5 kilometers by circling a water body to reach their destination.
Rajan Chaudhary
Courtesy: Hindi News