National Commission for Scheduled Castes will submit report tomorrow, says Director who visited Naikkankottai
Extensive damage has been caused to the property of Dalits in the November 7 attack on their colonies here by caste Hindus, according to Director of National Commission for Scheduled Castes D. Venkatesan.
After inspecting the houses that were torched at Natham Colony, Anna Nagar and Kondampatti new and old colonies in Naikkankottai village on Saturday, he told The Hindu here that the Commission’s report and recommendations would be submitted to the Central and State governments on Monday.
Based on the recommendations, the governments would initiate rehabilitation measures, he added.
Women, especially the elderly, broke down on seeing the official and narrated their harrowing experiences. Petitions were also given to Mr. Venkatesan.
At Natham Colony, he spoke to T. Palaniammal, 80-year-old grandmother of E. Ilavarasan, the Dalit, who married caste Hindu girl N. Divya.
There were tense moments during the official’s visit to the village. Some members of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi sought to block the way of Mr. Venkatesan and shouted slogans to disband the Commission, contending that it should have visited the place immediately after the incident.
They demanded that the Collector, the DIG and the SP camp in the colonies and arrange basic necessities for the affected persons. They also wanted a medical camp to be organised.
Prior to Mr Venkatesan’s three-hour visit of the colonies along with police and revenue officials, he held a review meeting with District Collector R. Lilly and Superintendent of Police Asra Garg at the Collectorate.
Three more arrested
Three more persons allegedly involved in the attack on the colonies were arrested and remanded in judicial custody, taking the total number of arrested persons to 95.
The body of Nagaraj was still in the mortuary at the Government Hospital after post-mortem as his community was divided over receiving it. Though the Vanniyar Sangam called for a meeting in Dharmapuri for Saturday to discuss the future course of action, only 12 members turned up at the meeting, as against the expected 500. The group dispersed without holding the meeting.
Keywords: Dharmapuri violence, Dalits' property, Director of National Commission for Scheduled Castes D. Venkatesan, Vanniyar Sangam, Natham Colony, Anna Nagar, Kondampatti
Did marriage cause violence or suicide?Another article had details about some people
in the same area married inter caste.So..may be suicide raised emotions of people
Several comments were made regarding this incidence all these days.
Some have critically written on reservation system as cause for
perpetuation of caste in Tamil Nadu. Will they come forward to have
matrimonial alliance with dalits in their family? Will they argue for
prohibiting caste based matrimonial practice prevailing here? We are
seeking bride or bridegroom by publishing ads requesting for a
particular sect/subsect/gothram/kulam/varnam/etc even within a caste.
Until such practice is prevails in this country, reservation should be
perpetuated! Whether the marriages made after matching of
jathagam/horoscope are always successful? How many of our newly
married couples having all the 10 poruthams are happy? Natural
relationship between two people with understanding only will last
long. We should shed all our superstitious belief, progress with the
modernisation. Periyar has advocated only the equality in treatment of
every individual. Even he argued for proportional reservation.
What a shame ! Even after so many decades of independence we are
centuries behind in our social outlook.The culprits should be arrested
and given such condign punishment that for generations to come there
will be no repetition.
Please do not generalise the attackers as caste Hindus. It wounds the sentiments of other Hindus who does not have faith in violence.
Unless the state govt does some good and puts real efforts there isnt
going to be an end to this.
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