Dalits entered Periya Mariamman temple on Friday, where the village panchayat president verbally abused and threatened a Dalit youth for entering near the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
Panchayat president T. Manickam pulled up Praveen Kumar, 22, in front of the villagers. A video of this incident went viral on the social media. DMK general secretary Durai Murugan announced the suspension of Mr. Manickam from the party primary membership on January 30.
Hours after the ruling party made the announcement, the Steel Plant police received a complaint from Praveen Kumar, registered a case under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Indian Penal Code and arrested Mr. Manickam, who was remanded the next day.
Policemen were deployed at the village to prevent any untoward incident. Various political parties announced that they would enter the temple with Dalits and submitted a petition to Collector S. Karmegam. The CPI(M) and the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front urged the Collector to take the Dalits along to the temple, or they would do so.
No announcement
On Friday morning, without any announcement, Mr. Karmegam went to the village with officials of the Revenue Department and the Department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments. He asked the officials to take the Dalits into the temple.
Revenue Department officials said that to avoid sensationalising the issue, the district administration had not let out its plan. Mr. Karmegam told The Hindu that the Dalits entered the temple and offered prayers there peacefully. No law and order issue cropped up in the village because all communities cooperated with the administration, he said.
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