: “I don’t think the people here at Saliyamangalam even consider the people of my community ( Thotti or cleaners) as humans. What else would you think of people who never cared to commiserate with us after the horrific rape and murder of my daughter by upper caste youths?” mumbles Kaliappan*, unable to hold back the tears trickling down his chin.
The Dalit girl who was found murdered near Saliamangalam village in Thanjavur district early on Monday was raped before she was strangulated to death by two suspects who were said to be caste Hindus.
In a report submitted to the Judicial Magistrate, Papanasam, the Ammapet police said investigation had revealed that the victim was raped and then murdered. The case was altered to Section 342 (wrongful restraint) and 376 (rape). Police also invoked the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, against the two suspects Raja alias Arangarajan and Kumar who were arrested and remanded in judicial custody, police sources said on Wednesday.
The victim, who was 20 years’ old, had gone to attend nature’s call on the night of July 31 and did not return home. After a frantic search all night, the family and relatives found her body with multiple injuries dumped at a secluded place. Police investigation revealed that the suspects waylaid Kalaiselvi and forcibly took her to a remote place. They took turns to rape her. Besides attacking her face with a brick, they also used her stole to strangulate her.
A fact-finding team of Evidence, a human rights organisation, visited the scene of crime and spoke to the victim’s family. “Local people here say that it is common for caste Hindu youth to sexually abuse, harass and tease Dalit girls. The victims do not prefer a police complaint because they claim that not much action is taken anyway. Moreover, most of the Dalits work in the farm of caste Hindus,” A. Kathir, executive director of Evidence, said.
Since 2010, as many as 3,117 women were sexually assaulted in Tamil Nadu of which about 60 per cent victims were raped and murdered, he sai.
“We clean toilets and clear the dead animals from the roads and that is the only time these higher caste people seek us out ,” the grieving father told The Hindu here on Wednesday.
Condemning the crime, the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front, said the state Government must swiftly intervene and prevent assaults on Dalit girls.
* Name changed
Victims do not prefer a complaint because they don’t have confidence that action will be taken
