Human rights activists here on Monday urged the State government to take control of the temple at Uthapuram, a village where caste clashes erupted 19 years ago. So far, the clashes have claimed nine lives.
The members alleged that despite High Court orders to allow Dalits to enter Muthala Amman Temple in the village, Caste Hindus denied them permission.
“It is a violation of basic right guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution. Hence, the Hindu Religious and Charities Endowment Department must take over the temple,” said A. Rajini, State convenor, People’s Union of Human Rights (PUHR).
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“Moreover, those responsible for the attack on the revenue officials last month must be brought to book,” she added.
Further, the activists charged the district administration of Theni with having a “callous” attitude towards allaying the fears of Dalits living in Melamangalam following clashes that took place in the village last month.
Members of the PUHR and the National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations (NCHRO) alleged that the administration had not convened any peace talks between the warring groups.
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Releasing the report of the fact-finding panel that visited Melamangalam, Ms. Rajini said that the victims of caste clashes were not given adequate relief under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.