TIRUNELVELI: In a shocking incident, similar to the Nanguneri caste violence, a 17-year-old Scheduled Caste boy was brutally attacked by a gang belonging to a dominant caste (MBC) with a sickle inside his house at Melapattam village near Tirunelveli on Monday.
The attack happened after the boy questioned the gang members for recklessly driving a car near his house.
“The boy resides with his elder brother and parents at Melapattam. While his elder brother is a third-year college student, the boy is a second-year polytechnic student. Both his parents are employed and usually return home only in the evening,” sources said.
“On Monday, the elder son had gone to college, leaving the younger one alone at home. Around noon, as the boy was walking near his house, a car sped past him dangerously, almost hitting him. He questioned the occupants of the car about reckless driving. This led to a confrontation between the boy and the gang. A bystander diffused the situation, and persuaded both the parties to leave the spot,” sources said.
“However, in the evening, the same gang accompanied by some others entered the boy’s house. Taking advantage of his parents’ absence, the assailants attacked the boy, smashing a beer bottle on his head and assaulting him with a sickle. They also damaged household items before fleeing the scene. Neighbours rushed the injured youth to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, where he was admitted to the emergency ward. His parents rushed to the hospital after hearing about the brutal assault,” sources added.
When contacted by TNIE, Superintendent of Police N Silambarasan said the police were in the process of getting a complaint from the boy and registering an FIR. Sources said that more than five assailants who were involved in the attack have gone underground. Last year, in a caste attack in Nanguneri, a gang of students belonging to a dominant caste hacked an SC student and his sister at their house.