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Tamil Nadu
TN: Despite complaint, no case filed yet on dumping faeces in water tank, says SC panchayat president
Raising a series of problems that have cropped up, Vidhya, who belongs to an SC community, wrote to 12 officials, including the district collector and chief secretary on February 28.
MADURAI: Palaiyur panchayat president S Vidhya has alleged that Saptur police are yet to register a case on a complaint of a water tank used by caste Hindus in the village being contaminated by human excreta.
The water tank is used for bathing and the contamination occurred in December 2022, but despite several complaints, police have yet to register a case, she claimed. Raising a series of problems that have cropped up, Vidhya, who belongs to an SC community, wrote to 12 officials, including the district collector and chief secretary on February 28.
"The police have not yet registered a case in this regard, citing a lack of evidence. The Palaiyur panchayat has three villages -- Karisalpatti, Kattaarapatti and Palaiyur. Caste Hindu people reside in Palaiyur while SC and minorities reside in the other two villages. I believe the contamination is being done to tarnish my reputation as I belong to an SC community," Vidhya told TNIE, adding the pipeline to the water tank has also been damaged multiple times.
She said she had also faced other incidents of harassment. "In 2021, on some days I would enter my office and find human excreta in the room. Following this, we constructed a compound wall for the panchayat office and no such incident has occurred since. No complaint was lodged at the time. In April 2020, human excreta was mixed in the drinking water tanks and I lodged a complaint with the block development officer," she said.
"On February 9 this year, a resident of Palaiyur named Bharatha Pandian verbally abused me and my husband with caste slurs for not properly building a community hall in the village. The next day, my name board at my office was broken and cow dung was thrown at the office entrance wall, which bears my name. Following a complaint, Bharatha Pandian was arrested by Saptur police. But three others have been let free," she said.
Vidhya had also reached out to Evidence, a Madurai-based human rights NGO, which conducted a field visit and raised demands in her favour. Madurai Superintendent of Police R Shiva Prasad said he has directed the investigative officer (IO) to probe the issue properly. "Once that is done, we will proceed with further action," he said.Madurai Collector Dr S Aneesh Sekhar said a detailed inquiry is underway and appropriate action will be taken.
"The police have not yet registered a case in this regard, citing a lack of evidence. The Palaiyur panchayat has three villages -- Karisalpatti, Kattaarapatti and Palaiyur. Caste Hindu people reside in Palaiyur while SC and minorities reside in the other two villages. I believe the contamination is being done to tarnish my reputation as I belong to an SC community," Vidhya told TNIE, adding the pipeline to the water tank has also been damaged multiple times.
She said she had also faced other incidents of harassment. "In 2021, on some days I would enter my office and find human excreta in the room. Following this, we constructed a compound wall for the panchayat office and no such incident has occurred since. No complaint was lodged at the time. In April 2020, human excreta was mixed in the drinking water tanks and I lodged a complaint with the block development officer," she said.
"On February 9 this year, a resident of Palaiyur named Bharatha Pandian verbally abused me and my husband with caste slurs for not properly building a community hall in the village. The next day, my name board at my office was broken and cow dung was thrown at the office entrance wall, which bears my name. Following a complaint, Bharatha Pandian was arrested by Saptur police. But three others have been let free," she said.
Vidhya had also reached out to Evidence, a Madurai-based human rights NGO, which conducted a field visit and raised demands in her favour. Madurai Superintendent of Police R Shiva Prasad said he has directed the investigative officer (IO) to probe the issue properly. "Once that is done, we will proceed with further action," he said.Madurai Collector Dr S Aneesh Sekhar said a detailed inquiry is underway and appropriate action will be taken.