A Dalit woman and her relatives from Muhilthagam village near Thondi have allegedly been ostracised by members of another Dalit group as she was involved in a relationship with a man from their community.
A few years ago, the victim, Mary of Devakottai, fell in love and tied the knot with Selvaraj of Muhilthagam, who belonged to another sect of the Dalit community. Recently, a group of people from Selvaraj’s community raised objection to the fact that his wife hailed from a different sect and subsequently ostracised the family. The other villagers were reportedly instructed not to interact with them. Around 15 other families — most of them relatives of Selvaraj —were also allegedly osctracised for supporting the couple. They were apparently not allowed to draw water from the public tap, offer prayers at the church or attend public functions. On Monday, these families petitioned the Collector, seeking official intervention.