The Dalits in Vadugapatti near Usilampatti are denied entry into the village temple by caste Hindus and they are not even allowed to sit in the verandah of the temple. “Even during the temple festival, we are forced to worship the deity standing outside the temple,” said Pandi, a Dalit resident of the village, where Arun Kumar, a class VI boy was paraded through caste Hindu streets with footwear on his head. The village also has a separate graveyard for the caste Hindus and Dalits. “They are not allowed to take the bodies via the streets of caste Hindus. They are now forced to used a battered road to our graveyard which doesn’t even have a basement,” said C Thennarasu, a VCK functionary.
Though the police on Thursday claimed they deployed personnel to ensure that Dalits walked with footwear in all the streets of the village, not even a single policeman was in the vicinity. Thennarasu said such a practice prevailed in many villages in Usilampatti.