The November 7 attack on three Dalit colonies in the district was a well-organised crime, Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, P.L. Punia, said here on Monday.
A mob of over 1,800 persons looted and torched the dwellings of Dalits in three colonies of Naikkankottai village in the district after a caste Hindu committed suicide, distraught over his daughter’s marriage to a Dalit youth from one of the colonies.
It was not anguish over a single incident (the suicide). It was a well-organised and planned attack, he told reporters.
After inspecting the houses that were targeted and interacting with the people and officials, Mr. Punia said that the mob used petrol bombs and torched the houses after taking away valuables. The rough estimate of the loss was Rs. 6.95-crore.
Rehabilitation
On rehabilitation, Mr. Punia referred to the district administration’s plan to reconstruct 40 fully damaged houses at a cost of Rs. 1.5 lakh each and to undertake repairs to the partially damaged ones at a total cost of Rs. 40.90 lakh. The estimates had been sent to the government for approval. The works would begin soon after Deepavali.
Till these works were over, the affected people would be accommodated in temporary sheds that the administration was putting up at Rs. 12 lakh.
Mr. Punia said that the district administration had been directed to provide transport facility to the Dalit colonies, as some of the girls pursuing Plus-Two expressed fears that they could be targeted when they walked to school, covering a long distance through fields.
Members of the Commission Lata Priyakumar, M. Shivanna, Directors D. Venkatesan (Tamil Nadu), P. Girija (Karnataka), Dharmapuri Collector R. Lilly and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Salem Range, Sanjay Kumar, were present at the press conference.
Former IAS officer and leader of the Samuga Samathuva Padai R. Sivakami attended the press conference as a journalist. She said atrocities on Dalits prevailed across the district and the government and the district administration had failed to control these. The Commission should take action against the State Government and recommend its dismissal. She also said a lot of Panchami lands were yet to be retrieved from land grabbers. Each household in the three Dalit colonies should be given a compensation of Rs. 25 lakh.
Keywords: Dharmapuri violence, Dalits' property, Director of National Commission for Scheduled Castes D. Venkatesan, Vanniyar Sangam, Natham Colony, Anna Nagar, Kondampatti
Stop using the word Dalits upon a community this itself create or split
communities as upper and lower in the country. Why can not we tell the
news as a particular community is attacked by on other community due to
inter caste marriage. Using the word Dalit or lower caste people in
communications is like hurting the entire community people.
National Commission for Scheduled Castes should immediately assume
charge of the district and investigate with its own agencies and punish
both the offenders and the officers who failed to do their job and stop
such mess. The current administration has wantedly or unwantedly has
failed, so they have no reason to stay.
Please read this and assess the progress made by Indians.
A former IAS officer commenting that NCSC should recommend for the
dismissal of the state govt showed the way the administrators had
stooped so low in assessing the reality in spite of their education
and training.The so called dalit leaders and the prosperous dalits
have not done anything over the past several decades for the
upliftment of the poor dalits. On the contrary a dalit IAS officer
educates his/her children using the quota for SCs to make them
engineers and doctors and make them land in plum govt jobs; the
promotion quota is also used fully. The third generation of
economically forward dalits are using the reservation quota meant for
the poor dalits. If the dalit leaders are truly concerned about the
poor dalits who are neglected let the creamy layers get out of the
reservation quota meant for the downtrodden.
It's so horrible to see the wicked hands of casteism wearing its ugliest face again.They are too human and they deserve better treatment.The same poeple who stand against them are so eager to get the odd services by the Dalit shamelessly viz .toilet cleaning street cleaning and such odd less paid jobs.I was so surprised to read the fatehr of the girl whose marriage was held with a Dalit man ,commited suicide.The horrible aftermath of the incident is really apalling.If the girl she married was good why the hell the so called poeple of high cast did all the mess,sowing the seeds of fear among the poor Dalit.I am very proud to say such things rarely happen in the state of Kerala.Poeple need to be educated to enjoy their rights and not to disturb others too.I am working in the maldives and i must say here any one can marry anyone if both the mates like each other.Money ,status etc. do not make any barrier .When are we Indians going to change?
what a shame !These things are happening in 20th century India. This kinds of violence shouldn't be tolerated. Are Police and judiciary taking proper action or not?
The perpatraters of this violence are to be severely punished without
much delay in enquiries, so that in future such things do not reccure
against the dalits anywhere in the country.
A careful reading of all the related news items show a deep-rooted social malady,
which was swept under the carpet all along. A sociological study is needed.
Secondly, the loss of seven crores of rupees is an indication of the acccumulated
wealth of the hardworking Dalits. This has to be made good, not by government, but
by the offenders.
India still has a long way to go in making a society where every
downtrodden can lead a life of dignity without being subjected to caste
and creed biases.
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