The panchayat chief who is said to have slapped a Dalit girl here with chappals was booked under the Prevention of Atrocities Against SC/ST Act by the Vadakadu police in the district, on Tuesday.
The police also seized the vehicle of the accused, Palanivelu, and are searching for him.
Sources said, Vadakadu police registered a case against Palanivelu, panchayat president of Karukakurichi Therkutheru village in Karambakudi union near Alangudi in the district on a complaint lodged by the victim ‘Sonia Gandhi’ of the same village on Sunday.
In her complaint, the victim Sonia Gandhi stated that Palanivelu, village panchayat president, slapped her with his chappal and verbally abused her mentioning her caste name, as she did not rise from her sick bed to greet him.
Sources said that after undergoing a surgery for appendicitis, the girl was lying in her cot outside her house, when the panchayat chief belonging to a caste Hindu community passed by her house on his bike. He was more infuriated when he saw that the girl did not get up to pay respects to him. He slapped Sonia with chappals and also threatened to kill her.