KARIAPATTI: For the members of 37 Dalit families, who fled T Veppankulam in Virudhunagar district on October 4 fearing violent reprisals from the dominant caste Hindus of their village and took refuge in Kariapatti, the future remains a big question mark as the district administration and police have turned a blind eye to their plight.
The day before the Dalits left their homes, casteist tensions had run high at T Veppankulam when some Dalits waiting in queue with their families to get photographed for the Kalaignar Maruthuva Kaapeetu Thittam (state government’s medical insurance scheme) objected to some caste Hindus jumping the queue.
The verbal exchange led to violence, when five Dalit men, including V Muniyandi, a daily wage labourer, were badly beaten. “As usual, they made casteist remarks against us and began to thrash us.” Muniyandi told Express.
The terror did not stop there. Fearing that the Dalits would file an FIR against them, the caste Hindus surrounded their houses and refused to let them out. Those who had got into state transport buses were also forcibly made to step down.
Sources said Mukkulam sub-inspector Ramaiah, who came to the village to enquire about the incident, also had to bear the brunt of upper caste fury. The man in khaki was reportedly let off only after he told them that he belonged to their caste. He was transferred the same night, the sources added.
Muniyandi was again beaten up by a 40-member group with slippers and sticks when he tried to meet his wife Pappa at a nearby house. Around 6 pm, he managed to escape to Kariapatti, 20 km away, when his wife wrapped him in her sari and smuggled him into a bus.
On October 4, some 37 Dalit families similarly made their way to Kariapatti, where they enjoy some protection from some Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) activists, in small groups with just the clothes on their back. They now stay in a makeshift shelter. “We have been reduced to begging for rice, pulses and vegetables and it is about 20 days since our children went to school,” they said.
VCK councillor Iniyavan said the district administration and the police were not taking any steps for the rehabilitation of the families. “As is the practice, the police filed the first FIR against the Dalits and then filed one against the caste Hindus,” he added.
The Dalit villagers said none of the district officials had bothered to visit them and enquire about their plight. The police too had not taken any action on the FIR filed against the caste Hindus.
“As the upper caste people have served an ultimatum on us, it is impossible for us to return to our village,” they added.