Dalit youth beaten to death near Tiruchi; man, sons held

Body of Kathir, who had performed an intercaste marriage about five months ago, found on a field near Pachur

A 22-year-old Dalit was beaten to death by three persons belonging to a caste Hindu family for allegedly damaging their drip irrigation pipes at Pachur near here on Saturday.

According to police, the mutilated body of M. Kathir,22, alias Kathiresan of Thirupanjeeli with deep injuries on mouth, chin, shoulders and chest was found on a field near Pachur.

The police recovered the body and sent it to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital for post-mortem. Kathir had performed an intercaste marriage about five months ago.

Enquiries revealed that V. Thangarasu,57, a landlord and his sons, Suresh,37, and Baskar,30, of Thirupanjeeli, had gone to Kathir’s house on Saturday morning and questioned him for damaging their irrigation pipes.

They forcefully took him to a place, where he was attacked with wooden logs in front of the villagers. Later, Kathir was taken to Pachur village where he was allegedly murdered, police said.

Kathir used to consume liquor in Thangarasu’s coconut farm. The accused, who had complained about Kathir in the past for causing “nuisance” under the influence of alcohol, had suspected him of damaging the pipes.

However, Kathir’s family members alleged that he was killed by the “caste Hindus” as he had questioned the atrocities against Dalits on a few occasions. “The accused used abused my son and called him by our caste name.He was dragged to a common place and attacked in front of others. None came to his rescue,” M. Ganesan (49), father of Kathir said.

Tamilathan, a Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi functionary, said Kathir was a victim of atrocities against Dalits in the village. Police have filed a case and arrested Thangarasu and his sons.