Tension at Uthapuram as police outpost comes under attack

Policewoman injured; tahsildar’s vehicle attacked

Tension prevailed at Uthapuram, a village near Usilampatti, where some caste Hindus allegedly pelted a police outpost with stones, protesting revenue and police officials conducting a meeting to allocate time for Dalits to offer prayers in a village temple on Monday.

A large posse of police has been deployed in the village, where the district administration in 2008 demolished a “wall of untouchability” that divided the Dalit habitations from the caste Hindu residential area.

The Dalits had represented to the Madurai District Police that they wanted to offer prayers at the Muthalamman temple, when the caste Hindus planned for a three-day ‘Panguni’ celebration between April 8 and 10. Following this, Usilampatti Revenue Divisional Officer M. Duraipandian and Usilampatti Deputy Superintendent of Police Saravanankumar held a meeting at the police outpost. “We wanted to know the time at which the Dalits wanted to offer prayers. The meeting was held as the High Court in 2012 ordered that the Dalits be allowed to enter the temple,” the RDO told The Hindu .

Even as the talks were going on, scores of Caste Hindus gathered near the temple around 1.30 p.m. “They shouted slogans against allowing the Dalits into the temple. Suddenly, a few stones were hurled at the outpost,” the RDO said. A woman constable was injured, and the windshield of the official vehicle of the Perayur Tahsildar was smashed.

One of the Dalit leaders, K. Ponnaiah, claimed that the caste Hindus had threatened their representatives, Sankaralingam and Nagamani, of dire consequences. “The DSP pacified our people, hence we kept quiet.”

However, people from both sides started hurling stones at each other, the police said.

Under control

Superintendent of Police Vijayendra Bidari, who rushed to Uthapuram, said the situation was under control. The constable sustained a minor injury, he said. A case would be registered against the accused.

The Dalits entered the temple in 2011 with police protection, after a long-drawn peace process initiated by the then Superintendent of Police, Asra Garg, and leaders of both communities.