TENKASI: A caste Hindu woman has been booked under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, for allegedly beating a sweeper, belonging to the Arunthathiyar community, with her footwear at a textile mill in Gomathipuram.
According to Sankarankovil Taluk police, the suspect, L Parameswari from Panjakulam, and the victim, S Ramakrishnan from Puliyampatti, were working at a private textile mill. In a video that was widely circulated on social media, Parameswari is seen beating Ramakrishnan with her footwear.
“A few days ago, Ramakrishnan had advised Parameswari to not waste water in the toilet. Irked by this, Parameswari hurled ‘casteist slurs ‘at him and also escalated the issue. Following an inquiry, the mill administration reportedly asked Parameswari to apologise to Ramakrishnan for her remarks,” said sources.
Opposing the management’s decision, mill workers R Raja and P Gowtham, members of an intermediate caste, threatened to strike work. “In this situation, Parameswari beat Ramakrishnan with her footwear and this was clearly recorded by the CCTV cameras,” sources added. Based on a complaint from Ramakrishnan, police have booked Parameswari. Raja and Gowtham have also been named in the FIR.