Tension prevailed at the Collectorate here on Monday after a group of fishers, mostly women from Poompuhar, squatted in front of the District Revenue Officer’s car urging the district administration to ensure that they be allowed to choose their faith.
Around 50 people belonging to 20 families were allegedly ostracised by the villagers for the last few months as they preferred to offer prayer in a Christian prayer hall.
Further, the meenava panchayatar (representative body of fishermen group) had passed a diktat asking people not to purchase fish from them and imposed a ban on selling their catch in the locality.
The fishermen told DRO A. Benjamin Babu that they had been going to the prayer hall for the last few years. However, because of the action of the panchayat their livelihood was at stake, they said. The fishers withdrew their agitation after DRO told them that officials would make a spot visit and do the needful at the earliest.
