CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu State Human Rights Commission has taken cognizance of The New Indian Express report dated March 21 under the caption ‘Kin Stage Protest After Dalit Farm Worker Suspectedly Killed by Caste Hindu Landlord’.
The Commission, headed by its chairperson Justice T Meenakumari, called for a detailed report from the Erode District Collector and the Erode Superintendent of Police within four weeks.
Dalit farm worker Chinnasamy (55) of Ricemill Pudhur in Nallampatti, Thingalur village near Gobi was found dead in Marappakavundar’s farm well on March 19. As his death was a suspected murder, his kin and relatives staged a protest in Erode that night, seeking immediate action.
Chinnasamy’s death triggered a row as only a day ago he was allegedly threatened by Marappakuvandar at a peace committee meeting held to sort out the issue of Dalits’ right to enter temple in the village. His body was shifted from Erode to the Coimbatore Medical College for postmortem as Dalit outfits staged protests in Erode. According to Erode SP, Sibi Chakravarthi, a case of suspicious death has been registered and the police are awaiting a postmortem report to resume probe.