A large number of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) cadre attempted to march to the Madurai District Collectorate on Monday, condemning the release of 13 life convicts in the 1996 Melavalavu massacre case in which six Dalits include a panchayat president were killed.
Protesting against the government order issued allowing their release, VCK state organising secretary, M. Ellalan charged that the government was specifically looking to take a stance against Dalits by disgracing them and releasing “murderers who are plagued by their obsession of caste.”
“It is well known that the convicts killed six people from the Dalit community because caste Hindus were agitated after the then district administration chose to reserve the post of Melavalavu panchayat president for Scheduled Castes. The Edappadi K. Palaniswami government has chosen to release them citing the ‘good behaviour’ of the convicts in jail. This is highly objectionable,” he said. He added that the government order must be revoked and the freed convicts must be jailed.
The cadre were detained by the police after a minor scuffle broke out with the police when the former were disallowed from entering the Collectorate premises.
The Madurai Madras High Court too, had wanted to know the State’s reasons for the release of the convicts.
