Four Dalits were injured in an attack by a group of caste Hindus following a dispute over selling land to a private windmill at Kallathikulam under Alangulam police limits in Tirunelveli district on Monday night.
A 16-year-old Dalit boy A.Esakkimuthu, G.Kanagaraj, Arumugam and Murugan who were working as construction workers were attacked with deadly weapons including a gun by a 15-member gang. Esakkimuthu had sustained a bullet injury on his left foot and Kanagaraj's four fingers on the right hand got cut by a sickle.
Kathirvel of Sivalarkulam is a land broker who had brokered between a private windmill company and the Dalit landowner Rayammal. Muthu alias Anthony (deceased), father of Rayammal had 120 acres of land in Kallathikulam. He portioned his 120 acres of land giving 40 acres each to his two sons Deivendran and Yagappan and then divided the remaining 40 acres to his four daughters 10 acres each.
During 2010, Rayammal's siblings Bagyam, Gnanammal and Anthonyammal had sold their lands to the Suzlon windmill. Rayammal refused to sell her lands and it was during this time, the windmill had tried to purchase her land.
Land broker Kathirvel has approached Rayammal and had asked her not to talk to the buyers directly as they would quote a lower price. Meanwhile, Kathirvel had approached the windmill and quoted a much higher price for which the windmill authorities had stated that they would directly talk to Rayammal.
On June 20, when the workers came in a lorry transporting machineries of the windmill near Rayammal's lands, they were stopped by Kathirvel and his men and were attacked.
Alangulam police have filed cases under sections 147,148, 294(b),324, 326, 307, 506(2) of Indian Penal Code and 25(1)(A) Indian Arms Act and 3(2)(5) of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989.
Alangulam police have arrested M. Chandran alias Chandramohan (39) of Mullikulam, P. Anand alias Vellaibatcha (28) of Sivalaarkulam, S. Saravanakumar (26) of Sivalaarkulam, S. Murugaiah alias Mangala Murugan (48), Sathish and A.Kathirvel.
Madurai-based non-governmental organisation Evidence visited the village and did an enquiry and claimed that Dalits have become easy targets for both land brokers who misquote prices and confiscate their lands and for private companies who are doing the same on a larger scale. The organisation also demanded action against the private windmill for employing an under aged boy.
