TIRUNELVELI: After police placed barricades around a government land in Kurinjakulam village, people from the Scheduled Caste community alleged that police have once again bowed to pressure from the dominant caste people to prevent them from using the land during their temple festival which began on Tuesday.
Until 2019, during the annual Sudalai Madasamy temple festival, people from SC communities used to organise music and folk dance programmes on the land. They have since been stopped by officials from using the land allegedly following objections from the dominant caste people.
"Just as the festival started, police personnel placed barricades around the land. Even our children were not allowed to cross the land to reach school. After we protested and VCK functionaries spoke to police officials, a few barricades were removed to create a narrow path. This happens every year during the festival," said R Balamurugan of Kurinjakulam.
Another SC resident, E Prasad, said it was unacceptable that the state government itself is blocking access to a common pathway citing opposition from the dominant caste.
"In 2023, a SC resident had approached the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court about this. The court said that it was for the authorities to decide whether the petitioner shall be granted the permission sought by him by taking note of the ground reality. Why does the State government not make a decision in favour of us? Already our children have to play surrounded by barricades and hundreds of police personnel during every New Year event," he rued.
When contacted, Superintendent of Police S Aravind told TNIE that he had advised police personnel to allow students walk through the land. "Police were forced to barricade the land fully after a resident rang the bell of Kanthariamman Temple located in the land," he added.
The land is located near the SC settlement.
The village has witnessed multiple incidents of violence over the land's ownership. In 1992, four SC people were murdered by dominant caste members over the issue.