THOOTHUKUDI: One week after two SC students were assaulted by caste Hindu boys in Nanguneri, another 17-year-old school student belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) community was allegedly beaten up in a group clash at Kazhugumalai in Thoothukudi on Friday.
The Kazhugumalai police registered a case against 10 suspects and arrested five of them.
According to sources, Raju* of Lakshmipuram is a Class 11 commerce student at Kazhugumalai higher secondary school. “On Thursday, he had intervened in a clash between two boys -- Selva* and Iniyan* -- from the Science group at the same school. Raju, who is a friend of Iniyan, had assaulted Selva to end the fight,” sources added.
Sources further said, after a few hours, Selva gathered a group of 10 others, went to Lakshmipuram, and assaulted Raju. “While assaulting, the gang, comprising school and college students, hurled casteist slurs at Raju, and broke his mobile phone. He also suffered injuries all over his body, following which he was admitted to the Kovilpatti government hospital,” sources added.
Based on a complaint, the Kazhugumalai police registered a case under various sections of IPC and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against 10 suspects, including five unidentified people. While five suspects, including Selva, have been arrested, police are on the lookout for five others, sources said.
Stating that all suspects are students who belong to different backward communities, a top police officer said the motive behind the clash is being investigated. If the motive is found to be caste-related, severe punishments would ensue, he added.
(*names changed)