Temple entry issue: Melpathi Dalits in TN's Villupuram threaten to renounce Hindu faith
VILLUPURAM: Three months after the scheduled caste residents of Melpathi village were assaulted by caste Hindus for entering Shri Dharmaraja Draupati Amman temple during a festival on April 7, the Dalits allegedly have threatened to convert their religion (Hinduism) on August 15 if the officials fail to take action against the perpetrators.
Advocate M Tamizhmaran, who represents the SC residents said, “The temple entry incident happened over 90 days ago, and the temple remained sealed for over 30 days, but the officials still haven’t taken any action except conducting multiple rounds of talks with the two communities.
It is an outright negligence of their duty, as the scheduled caste people had been denied their constitutional right by an entire village.”He continued, “Oppression has started because of the religion. The SCs are being discriminated against on the basis of caste as they follow Hindu religion. In response to the grave humiliation of this sort, the SC residents have decided to move out of the religion on Independence day.”
The Shri Dharmaraja Draupati Amman temple was sealed on June 7 by revenue officials after the caste Hindus refused to comply with the government in all five rounds of peace talks. However, another inquiry commission headed by the revenue divisional officer was constituted after sealing the temple, and that too, hadn’t reached an amicable solution.
Speaking to TNIE, R Manivel, DMK block secretary and the panchayat president representing the caste Hindus and said, “We will fight for the temple as it is owned and maintained by the caste Hindus in the village. There is a case at the Madras High Court, and so, we will fight the issue there.”