A group of research students and activists, part of the Academic Circle for Arunthathiyars’ Action, who recently visited Santhaiyur village here, have demanded the demolition of the controversial ‘discriminatory’ wall that has resulted in tension between Paraiyars and Arunthathiyars, two Dalit communities residing in the village.
Releasing the findings of their fact-finding mission to the media here on Thursday, the group said that they found Arunthathiyar community’s allegations of the wall being an ‘untouchability wall’ erected by the Paraiyar community to be credible.
K. Bharathidasan, a research student and coordinator of the group, said that discriminating another group of people based on caste was the idea behind constructing the wall and hence it was justified to call it an ‘untouchability wall.’ The report said that both the communities cannot be clubbed as two ‘Dalit groups’ since they lived as separate castes in the village.
He alleged that the wall was erected to prevent the entry of Arunthathiyars in the poramboke land surrounding the Raja Kaliamman temple, which is under the control of Paraiyar community.
The group, in its study, also cited the claims of the Arunthathiyar community that trespassing into the compound had resulted in quarrel between their community and Paraiyars on many occasions in the past.
“Walls generally are for dividing people. With caste discrimination being the idea behind this wall and the Arunthathiyars demanding its demolition, it has to be demolished,” he said.
Registering its opposition to the views expressed by certain political parties and non-governmental organisations, the group also questioned the alleged ‘silence’ of Dalit intellectuals, writers and prominent Dalit leaders on the issue. “Many are trying to project it as just an issue of misunderstanding between the two communities, which is wrong,” Mr. Bharathidasan said.
The report sought the intervention of National Commission for Scheduled Castes on the issue to ensure that the wall was brought down.
The Paraiyar community in the village, however, has maintained that the wall was erected only to safeguard the temple and Arunthathiyars were free to enter the area.
