TIRUPPUR: The National Commission for Scheduled Caste (NCSC) has issued notice to Tiruppur district police after a Dalit family from Dharapuram complained that they were not allowed to enter Olapalayam village at Nandavanampalayam panchayat for the past five months.
S Prabhu (33), the victim, told TNIE that he refused to take up farm work and instead worked as a casual labourer. Some members of the BC community allegedly did not like his independence.
“Besides, my friend Srinivasan and I used to play drums during village festivals. On April 18, Srinivasan called me over the phone and asked me to accompany him. But I could not reach the place on time, and we had an argument over this. The next day Srinivasan, his father Krishnamoorthy and his mother Palaniammal attacked my parents Selvaraj and Poovathal at an isolated location in the village. Balakrishnan, a farmer from the BC community, watched this from a distance. Since he knew Srinivasan well, I asked him why he did not stop the assault. Angered by this, Balakrishnan abused us using our caste name.” he said.
Further, Prabhu alleged that Balakrishnan instigated the attack because they refused to work on his land. “I reported the incident to Kundadam Police Station, but they did not register an FIR against Balakrishnan. Later, a group of members from the BC community threatened to withdraw the complaint but I refused. Since then my family members have been unable to enter the village. We submitted a complaint to NCSC recently,” he added.
But, panchayat officials refuted the allegations. Nandavanapalayam panchayat president N Dhanaselvi said, “We do not support discrimination of any form.”
Speaking to TNIE, a senior police officer said, “We are investigating the issue, and filed charges against Srinivasan and his family. Regarding allegations of caste discrimination, we will summon the village elders for inquiry. We will send the inspector of Kundadam police station to the village to hold inquiries and based on the outcome, action will be initiated.”