Dalit Civic Chief Alleges Threats

DHARMAPURI: The Dalit panchayat president of Molaiyanoor village in Pappireddipatti taluk petitioned the Collector here on Monday alleging that caste Hindus were preventing him from performing his duties.

M Krishnamoorthy approached the Collector claiming that a group of caste Hindus was using the name of a political leader to threaten him for carrying out works in Molaiyanoor village.

Express in August last year had shed light on the difficulties faced by M Krishnamoorthy as a Dalit panchayat chief. However, since then, nothing has changed for the civic chief, who has been facing discrimination by the dominant caste.

“Caste Hindus discriminate against me as I come from Kurumba community (ST). They prevent me from performing my duties and often abuse me,” Krishnamoorthy said.

“An intermediate caste dominates the village. As they had been running the Molaiyanoor panchayat for the past 35 years, they are not able to stomach a Dalit as the panchayat chief.”

Despite taking up many development works in the village, the caste Hindus were nursing ill-feelings towards him, he said.

Krishnamoorthy said that a political leader’s brother was behind the entire drama. “When I questioned their group, which was getting all the government tenders, I was attacked. It was after a long struggle that Pappireddipatti police finally paid heed to my complaints and registered a case against them,” he claimed. “Despite being democratically elected, I am facing opposition from people with vested interests. If the district administration fails to solve this problem, I shall seek legal remedy,” Krishnamoorthy said.

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