Memories of the rather shocking death of Palanisamy Senthil Kumar, under mysterious circumstances while pursuing Ph.D in Physics at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) way back in 2008, have not yet faded from the minds of the people of Salem district.
Senthil Kumar joined the HCU with the firm belief that the central university will help in realising his dream of becoming a renowned technologist. He was found dead in his hostel room on February 24, 2008, with blood on his nose. The post-mortem report from the Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Secunderabad, revealed that it was “death due to poisoning”. Thus, the dream of a Dalit who wanted to become a renowned physicist came to an abrupt end when he was just 27.
Due to various reasons, the death of Senthil Kumar, the first person to pursue a doctorate from the community and who was seen as a hero in his native Jalakandapuram near Salem city, did not create ripples then. It also escaped national attention.
A common thread
Senthil Kumar had to toil from very young days due to the abject poverty that prevailed in his household. He hailed from a small sub-caste of the Dalits named ‘Panniyandi’, known for pig rearing. His father, 61-year-old Palanisamy, is still eking out his livelihood by rearing pigs. Mr. Palanisamy alleged that his son was harassed and humiliated because he was a Dalit, leading him to commit suicide.
A few Dalit outfits and individual activists in the State managed to get a probe ordered into the death and into allegations of caste-based discrimination against Dalit students.
Immediately after the tragedy, a ‘Senthil Kumar Solidarity Committee’ was formed comprising university teachers, students and independent researchers based in Hyderabad.
D. Ravikumar, a former VCK MLA, submitted a petition to K. Ponmudi, the then State Minister for Higher Education, pleading for the intervention of the State government. He also presented a petition to Prof. Seyed E. Hasnain, the then Vice Chancellor of HCU.
Thanks to these initiatives, the HCU sanctioned an ex-gratia payment of ₹5 lakh to Senthil Kumar’s parents. The HCU instituted an inquiry, which, it claimed, had found no evidence of “systematic and deliberate discrimination” on the basis of his caste.
The relatives of Senthil Kumar alleged that the State government did not come to the rescue of Palanisamy in any way. The family, which had borrowed heavily to fund his higher education, continues to suffer silently due to poverty.
