Case against Anbumani Ramadoss for inciting caste enmity

March 30, 2014 04:38 am | Updated November 27, 2021 06:55 pm IST - DHARMAPURI/CHENNAI:

Anbumani Ramadoss

Anbumani Ramadoss

The Dharmapuri police on Saturday registered a case against the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) candidate for Lok Sabha poll and former Union Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss, and two others on charges of distributing compact discs (CD) allegedly containing video/audio clips that could promote hatred between two communities.

According to police sources, Dr. Anbumani and his supporters had distributed CDs containing video/audio clips of the Marakkanam and Naikkankottai violent incidents that took place last year. Some of the CDs that were distributed in a few villages were seized by the police.

Based on a complaint lodged by a tahsildar, the police registered a case against him under the provisions of Section 153 (A) (Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), Section 505 (B) (Statements conducive to public mischief with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public) Section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC and Section 125 (Promoting enmity between classes in connection with election) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Besides Dr. Anbumani, PMK State deputy general secretary A. Saravanan and district secretary R. Arasangam were also booked.

“The distribution of the CDs to the people and displaying it in public meetings would instigate communally bitter feelings among the electorate, particularly the Vanniyars, a most backward community in the State and the Dalits. Hence there is a need to prohibit the use of the CDs. We have asked all police stations in the district to ensure that the CDs are not distributed,” a police official told The Hindu .

On November 7, 2012, the suicide by an elderly caste Hindu over his daughter Divya marrying a Dalit youth led to a mob attack on three Dalit colonies in Dharmapuri, including Natham Colony. The youth, Ilavarasan, was a resident of this colony. On July 4, 2013, his body was found along a railway line after Divya had told the Madras High Court that she wanted to go back to her mother.

In the wake of the fallout of the marriage and the violent incidents later, the ‘Social Democratic Alliance’ led by the PMK was formed by the party’s founder-leader, S. Ramadoss to consolidate the OBCs. The front, including non-Dalit parties and social organisations, opposed, among others, love marriages between Dalits and caste Hindus.

When contacted, Dr. Anbumani said he had no knowledge of the CDs containing provocative material. “This is a false case. I will face it legally,” he said.

The Dharmapuri SP, Asra Garg, said a special team had been formed to investigate the case.

This development has come in the backdrop of the continuing standoff between the Vanniyars and Dalits in the northern parts of Tamil Nadu.

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