SIVAGANGA: There was no hubbub of tots at Panchayat Union Primary School in Katchanatham village near Manamadurai on June 3, the day schools reopened. It’s not just a tale of a government school cutting a sorry figure; the cause for this eerie silence goes a lot deeper. This is same the village that witnessed one of the most brutal caste clashes in the State’s recent past. On May 28 last year, three Dalits were hacked to death and five more injured in an attack allegedly perpetrated by caste Hindus.
Though a year has passed, the ‘wounds’ inflicted on that fateful day are yet to heal; nowhere is it more evident than at the primary school. After the incident, only one child was enrolled at the school for 2018-19 as against the expected figure of 15. However, the lone student’s parents soon obtained a TC and enrolled their child in another school. Speaking to Express, a senior official from the School Education Department opined that fear for the safety of their children could be a reason why parents were refusing to enrol their children. He added that officials had attempted to allay their fears last year itself, but were unsuccessful.