PALAKKAD: The untouchability issue in Govindapuram village which arose after an Ezhava youth married a Dalit girl of the Ambedkar colony seems to be stoking controversies and this time it was the speech of Nenmara MLA K Babu who reportedly said the persons who abandoned their houses and were temporarily staying on the premises of a temple have a habit of drinking.
He was speaking at the public meeting organised by the CPM at Govindapuram village on Friday to explain its stand on the untouchability issue. The elopement of a Dalit girl from the Ambedkar colony in Govindapuram with an Ezhava youth living in the neighbourhood and returning to the village the next day had led to clashes between the two communities.
The issue was settled at the local police station and the two got married. However, the Dalits alleged they were being attacked by the local members of the upper castes who were knocking on their doors at night and threatening them. Many Dalit families were spending the nights on the premises of a local temple.