Members of the Vanniyar community in Hariharappakkam village, in Vembakkam taluk, staged a demonstration in Cheyyar on Monday criticising officials for facilitating the entry of Dalit people into the Thulukkanathamman temple.
The temple is located in Hariharappakkam and Dalit residents of neighbouring Namandi village live close to the temple.
Vanniyar community members had not been allowing their entry into the temple all these years.
Some youngsters from among the Dalits petitioned the Collector seeking government intervention in the matter. Cheyyar sub-collector T.Prabu Shankar called for a peace meeting to persuade the Vanniyar caste members to let Dalits into the temple.
But as they were not relenting, officials with the help of police broke open the locks and facilitated the entry of Dalits into the temple on October 25.
Since then, Vanniyar community members started mobilising themselves and the temple was sealed the next day.
On Monday, some members of the Vanniyar community staged a demonstration in front of the MGR statue in Cheyyar.
PMK State election campaign committee chairman and former MLA G.Ethiroli Maniyan and former PMK MP M.Durai participated in the protest.
Mr.Maniyan said the temple was built by their ‘clans’ and was not a common temple.
He disputed the claim that it was managed by HR&CE. He asked “If they have taken over the temple in 1988 as claimed by them, why Dalits have not attempted to enter the temple all these years.”
