CUDDALORE: A 20-year-old Dalit man was attacked near Virudhachalam by a group of caste Hindus for wearing sunglasses and riding on a bike. While the main accused in the case is absconding, police say they have arrested three others involved in the crime. While the assault happened last Saturday, Dalits of M Pattikudikadu village staged a protest on Monday demanding the arrest of all six men involved.
Speaking to Express, the victim, G Alagesan, said the incident happened when he was returning home from a shop, with his sister-in-law. “We had gone to pledge some jewellery. While returning home, Gopi, a caste Hindu from the same village, stopped my bike and started speaking ill of my relationship with my sister-in-law.”
“He then warned me not to wear sunglasses or ride a bike inside the village. He even insisted that I walk with my head bent down.” Alagesan alleged that Gopi also attempted to tear his sister-in-law’s clothes to humiliate them. “But he ran away as soon as I called my father.” The assault, however, did not end there.
“Later around 4 in the evening, while I was with my uncle near the graveyard outside the village, Gopi and five other caste Hindu men surrounded us. They assaulted both of us. My mother Annakili rushed to the spot hearing that we were being beaten up, and she was attacked with a sickle by one of the members named Palanisamy,” says Alagesan.
Police have filed a case under the SC/ST Act. DSP S Karthikeyan claimed both the victim and the accused were under the influence of alcohol. “It’s not ‘purely’ a caste-based attack. Our probe has shows only four men were involved. Both the victim and the accused were drunk... This seems to be an issue of personal enmity,” the officer said.
Alagesan denied the police claims. “I was riding with my sister-in-law. How could I have been drunk?
Gopi is a serial offender. On several occasions he has misbehaved with us, and has passed offensive remarks,” says Alagesan, alleging police inaction.