Nearly 50 persons – including 20 women – took part in a hunger strike held at Elachipalayam in Tiruchengode Taluk on Saturday, seeking action on two Caste Hindus on whom a complaint was registered under Section 3 (1) (X) of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Prevention of Atrocities Act (1989).
Communist Party of India (Marxist) Elachipalayam Union Secretary S. Suresh, who led the strike, alleged that the accused also took obscene pictures of two Arunthathiyar women of Chekaangadu in Agaram Village in the morning on May 7 when they – like other villagers – used the land adjacent to that of the accused as an open toilet.
The villagers claimed that the women were among the close to 50 Arunthathiyar families residing in that locality. The locality lacked proper toilet facilities owing to which the Arunthathiyar families used the above mentioned open space as an open toilet.
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“On the day of the incident, the caste Hindus Raja (25) who owned the nearby land and Suresh Kumar (30), who is said to be occupying a key district level position in a political party and is ploughing Raja's land, verbally abused the women and also took pictures of them”, Mr Suresh said.
The agitated villages lodged a complaint with Elachipalayam Police, who initially refused to take the complaint and later registered an FIR – the following day – after villagers resorted to road roko near Elachipalayam.
Mr. Suresh said that the accused abused the victims with foul language once again on the day (May 9) after the complaint was lodged, but no action was initiated against them.
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On Saturday the villagers staged a hunger strike before the Elachipalayam BDO office seeking immediate action on the accused.
They also urged the officials concerned to construct toilet complexes for the benefit of persons from downtrodden communities who are living in that locality.