TIRUNELVELI: Mother of the two Scheduled Caste students, who were hacked by dominant intermediate caste students, told TNIE that the government-aided school in Valliyoor is not safe for her children. “My son had to undergo mental agony due to the casteist attitude meted out to him by the intermediate caste students at the school. They used to ask my son to buy idli, and even cigarettes and other tobacco products for them. He had to pay for everything from his own pocket. So, I have decided to find another school for my children,” she added.
“They snatched money from my son and hurled caste slurs. He had to suffer a lot; from being forced to whistle when a teacher was taking class, to fetching water for the intermediate caste students. Owing to all this torture, my son wanted to discontinue his studies and leave for Chennai in search of a job. But, the school administration summoned us and we told them about the continued harassment.
Subsequently, the management warned the intermediate caste students. Irked by this, they brutally attacked my son on Wednesday night. In this situation, I demand police protection for my family and our relatives,” she said. Noting that he would extend all help to the victims, minister Anbil Mahesh said he would take steps to admit the SC boy and his sister to another school.
“Every student should treat their classmates as siblings and friends without partiality. The student community must bring about a change within classrooms,” he added. When contacted by TNIE, SP N Silambarasan said Nanguneri police nabbed six students under sections 212, 294(b), 307, 324, 352, 452 and 506 (2) of IPC and sections 3 (1) (r), 3 (1) (s) and 3 (2)(v) of the SC/ST Act.
“The juveniles were sent to a government observation home. Police protection has already been provided to the victims’ family,” he said. Executive Director of Evidence A Kathir demanded the state to provide the family a compensation of `10 lakh and monthly financial assistance of Rs 5,000. “Relatives of the intermediate caste students are holding important posts in the DMK and MDMK. The school teachers, who are taking steps to dismiss the accused, are receiving threats over phone,” he said.
Film director Mari Selvaraj shared a picture of blood drops seen on the stairs of the victim’s house online.
“Ask someone soon to find out the story of the hot blood dripping down these stairs for the past two days. If this blood dries now, you yourself will evade this incident in the future, citing it as some old wound (roughly translated from Tamil),” he said.