TN Dalit colony alleges Caste Hindus vandalised their homes for filing complaint
According to the Dalit residents, a police complaint had been filed two days ago due to the harassment they allegedly faced from the Caste Hindus.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 – 17:09
Residents of a Dalit colony in Indra Nagar in Koodankulam, Tirunelveli district, have alleged that their homes were vandalised by Caste Hindus on Friday night. They say that the alleged act was done in retaliation for the police complaint filed against the Caste Hindus two days ago. The Caste Hindus allegedly vandalised many vehicles and pelted stones at homes, damaging the glass windows and doors.
A resident of the Dalit colony, Kannan, alleged that Caste Hindus have always used casteist slurs against people from his community for entering the village.
“They also drive two-wheelers in our colony in the wee hours simply to create problems,” he alleged. “However, we have tried to avoid any clash and the last conflict was reported 10 years back,” he added.
“The Caste Hindus drove into our colony at midnight and created a ruckus. Following this, we registered a complaint with the police and that’s where the problem began. On Friday, over 100 men entered our homes, started pelting stones and vandalising. They also damaged vehicles and even our water tank. They also used casteist slurs against us,” he alleged.
On Saturday, Kannan, along with the villagers, gave a complaint against the Caste Hindus.
“We have given a complaint to the Koodankulam police and we staged a protest seeking the arrest of the accused. Soon, the DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) and senior officials reached the spot and have been holding talks with us. However, the talks are yet to reach a solution,” he said.
The police have registered a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Speaking about the incident, DSP of Tirunelveli district Samay Singh Meena said, “There was no clash; there was just a small altercation. There were no damages. Only two windows were broken and the two-wheelers parked outside were pushed down. However, a case has been registered under sections of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.”
