VELLORE: Three caste Hindus were booked for alleged repeated casteist slurs and death threats against a panchayat president belonging to the SC community on Friday in Vellore.
According to the police, R Selvi (43), president of Kaniyambadi village panchayat, lodged a complaint at the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Commission that deputy president M Shakila, her husband A Murali, and another person S Venkatesan have been harassing her for over eight months. They have been hurling casteist remarks, issuing death threats, and preventing her from carrying out her duties, the police said.
Ravi, Selvi's husband, told TNIE, "The deputy president refused to sign official papers because of caste egos and this has stalled various projects. They said the president (Selvi) should get their approval even to buy a hairpin on the panchayat's behalf." Based on the complaint, the police filed an FIR.
A case was registered under various provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and Sections 294b (verbal abuse) and 506 (i) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Probe is on.