VILLUPURAM: Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy, on behalf of the Tamil Nadu Adi-Dravidar welfare department on Tuesday, provided compensation of Rs 25,000 each to the three Dalit men, who faced discrimination in Ottanandhal village. Ponmudy later advised the villagers to maintain peace.
Residents from the colony along with their advocates filed a petition to the Superintendent of Police seeking withdrawal of the counter FIR filed against four Dalit men and 50 others from the colony. According to the petition, “The counter case was filed by Caste Hindus as an act of revenge and there is no truth in it. We demand that the SP investigates the truth and withdraws cases against the dalit men who are targeted by the caste Hindus.”
The petition also sought the remand of six other accused among total eight booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Another petition was given to the district collector, demanding a new water tank and transformer for the colony area, sources said.
“Whenever people from the colony go to the village to fetch water, or conduct any events in colony area, the villagers create trouble by barring us from accessing the amenities. So, we need our own amenities to prevent such discrimination in the future,” said the statement.