VILLUPURAM: Weeks after a communal clash broke out in Seshasamudram village between Dalits and caste Hindus over an Amman temple car procession, police arrested the village president from Kaatu Edaiyar village near Rishivandhiyam on Wednesday afternoon.
Police, after registering a case under three sections, remanded him at the Vellore Central Prison the same night. Local sources said for his personal political gain, the village president, Subramani of the DMDK, destroyed the unity of the villagers by instigating a caste clash between Dalits and Vanniyars on August 15.
So far, 10 houses, a cow shed and the Dalit temple car, besides several other valuables and documents belonging to Dalits, have been burnt at Seshasamudam. In his confession before the police, Subramani had said that the DMDK made him contest for the Seshasamudram village president post.
To win the election, Subramani, a Vanniyar community man, handed over Rs 1 lakh to the Dalit villagers, claiming that it was his contribution to build a temple car for the Muthu Mariamman temple.
The car was built and consecrated in 2009. Subramani had also secured a majority of the Vanniyar community votes.
The Dalits, who arranged to conduct the car procession in 2012, had put up posters across the village thanking the current DMDK village president Subramani and former AIADMK village president Chinna Durai (also a Vanniyar) for helping them build the temple car.
Considering it to be an ignominy to permit the Dalits to conduct the car procession, Subramani and Chinna Durai created hurdles for the Dalits to conduct the procession.
Later, joined by the Vanniyar community members, both of them stood against the Dalits’ car procession, stating they should not use the village common road to take out the procession.
After giving a fake report that a communal clash would erupt in the village, Subramani stopped the district officials from granting permission to the Dalits for the procession.
On August 13 this year, when the 16th peace meet was organised by Villupuram Collector M Lakshmi, she had granted permission to the Dalits for the car procession.
Irked by this, Subramani, Chinna Durai, Aiyya Swami and other Vanniyar community members had planned to attack the Dalit members and torch the temple car.
On the evening of Independence Day, a mob comprising 500 Vanniyar members disconnected the power supply to the Dalit colony and entered the village, torching all Dalits’ houses. Petrol bombs were hurled at the temple car and on a few of the Dalit residents close to the Muthu Mariamman Temple. They also hurled petrol bombs and pelted stones at the policemen and Dalit villagers.
In the attack, around 40 Dalit villagers, eight policemen and three revenue officials, sustained injuries. Following this, police booked a case on 150 Vanniyar community members including Subramani, Chinna Durai, Aiyya Swamy. Also, they have so far remanded 87 caste Hindus in connection with the clash.
According to Subramani, apart from him, more than 100 Vanniyar men including former AIADMK president Chinna Durai and a friend Aiyya Swamy had together planned the attack on the Dalit villagers.
Police, who registered a case under 15 sections of IPC including 307, 436 and SC /ST Act, remanded Subramani at the Vellore Central Prison.