Following a complaint from the president of Kavandachipudur Village Panchayat R. Selvi, the Dharapuram police booked a ward member under the provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on Thursday.
Ms. Selvi submitted a complaint on Thursday accusing S. Kuppusamy, member of Ward No. 6 of the Village Panchayat, of using casteist slurs against her and issuing threats. The accused was booked under sections 3 (1) (r) (intentionally insults or intimidates with intent to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe in any place within public view), 3 (1) (s) (abuses any member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe by caste name in any place within public view) of the SC/ST Act along with sections 294 (b) (uttering obscenities) and 506 (2) (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, police said.
The accused is absconding and efforts to arrest him are under way, according to the police. Ms. Selvi became the president of the Kavandachipudur Village Panchayat located in Dharapuram Panchayat Union in the local body elections held in December 2019.
