DINDIGUL: Alleging delay in providing compensation to the family of a Scheduled Caste murder victim in Kodaikanal, a Dalit outfit sought a government job for the victim’s wife in accordance with her qualifications along with the immediate dispersion of the compensation.
According to sources, V Ramar (28), a daily wager from Poombarai panchayat in Kodaikanal, was deployed at farmland in the hill region. On July 30, a group of members from the dominant community allegedly hacked him to death. An FIR was registered at the Kodaikanal police station on July 31.
Speaking to TNIE, Dalit Liberation Front (DLM) state president C Karuppiah said that under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Rules, 2016, `6 lakh should be provided as compensation after the postmortem, while the remaining `6 lakh should be given after the chargesheet is filed in court.
“Ramar’s postmortem was conducted on July 31, but the first instalment has not been given. Apart from this, the victim’s wife was offered a job within a week. But she was given a cook’s job at an Adi Dravidar Welfare School in Kodaikanal. The eligibility for a cook is no formal education, whereas she has completed Class XII. She could have been given a clerk or assistant position in the district administration,” he said.
An official from the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department, Dindigul, said the job vacancy was within the purview of the department, and the cook’s post was offered as the victim’s wife had sought immediate employment for survival.
“Based on the approval of the collector, the appointment was sanctioned. Other government job vacancies come under the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC), and it takes time for the victim’s family to get such a job,” the official said.
Regarding the compensation, the official said there are five legal heirs. “The `6 lakh compensation will be settled in two instalments. `1.88 lakh will be given on Tuesday and the remaining amount within a week. Since one part comes from the state government and the other from the Union government, the process is being carried out accordingly,” the official said.