TIRUPPUR: The Judicial Magistrate Court has directed police to register a complaint against a councillor of Palladam municipality who allegedly abused Dalit workers for sitting in chairs. Sources said, Papillan (Dhanapal), a casual labourer, and his Dalit friends visited the house of Palladam city council chairman Kavithamani Rajendran, at Kallipalayam on July 31, 2022.
They were informed that she was busy. After waiting for a while, they allegedly sat on chairs on the verandah. A few minutes later, Ward 3 councillor Dinesh Kumar saw them sitting in the chairs and allegedly assaulted and abused them. Later that night, he allegedly called Papillan over phone and abused again calling his caste name.
Papillan recorded the conversation and shared it with his friends and relatives. On January 4, a suit was filed by Annadurai, a social activist, in Palladam Judicial Magistrate Court. He said that despite complaints to the Palladam municipality commissioner, local police and district authorities, no cases were registered against the councillor and chairman’s husband on the issue.
On April 29, the court found petitioner’s evidence to be credible and directed Palladam police to launch an inquiry and investigate the issue. The order copy was served to the petitioner on May 9.