COIMBATORE: Karacheri villagers belonging to the Dalit community on Monday approached Collector K Rajamani with a complaint alleging that caste Hindus have dug a trench on the path leading to the burial ground to prevent them from using the stretch.
The villagers, led by one S Ravikumar, submitted a petition to the collector during the weekly grievance meet that was held on Monday and urged him to take action against wrongdoers.
“On November 21, a person named Govindan from TELC School Street passed away due to illness and his funeral procession was obstructed by caste Hindu people who threatened the family members of the deceased and told them not to use the common path. Despite their opposition, we managed to bury the body on the same day,” alleged Ravikumar.
On the next day, when they took the path for to perform a few rituals at the burial ground, they found that the trench had been dug, he said.
“More than hundred Dalit families are residing in the village and in our community, we follow the practice of burying the deceased. We have been using the common path to reach the burial ground without any trouble for decades. However, a few persons from the caste Hindu community have now dug a trench on the path to stop us from using it,” S Ravikumar claimed.
The collector, upon receiving the petition, asked the revenue officials from Kinathukadavu Taluk to conduct a review at the village to solve the issue.