If the prohibitory order under Section 144 (1) Cr.PC in Dharmapuri district is lifted, there is every possibility of political parties and communal outfits organising meetings and rallies and creating hatred among people, K. Vivekanandan, District Collector, submitted before the Madras High Court on Monday.
The order is in force since July 4, the day in which the body of E. Ilavarasan, a Dalit youth, was found near a railway track in Dharmapuri town.
In a status report on a writ petition filed before a Division Bench, comprising Justices V. Dhanapalan and C.T. Selvam, the Dharmapuri Collector stated that there was violence in Natham Colony and three other villages in November last year. This was consequent to the suicide by the father of Divya, a Vanniyar. The tragedy occurred after the girl married Ilavarasan, who died in July.
The report, filed through the Special Government Pleader, I.S. Inbadurai, said the issue of inter-caste marriages had been used by some political parties and communal organisations to promote hatred among various communities. The violence created ill-feelings among the people, which had reduced gradually due to the massive rehabilitation work undertaken by the government coupled with close monitoring of the situation continuously.
The status report said there was an elaborate and round-the-clock bandobust in the villages affected by communal violence. The district administration should give top priority to ensure public peace and maintain law and order. The communal tension between two communities was still simmering. Therefore, the prohibitory order should continue till normalcy was restored.
The writ petition was filed by C. Vidhyadharan, president, Lok Janasakthi Party, to relax the prohibitory order and permit him and his party cadre to pay their last respects to Ilavarasan.
