TIRUPATTUR: The dominant caste people of a village in Tamil Nadu refused to allow the burial of a 80-year-old woman for the simple reason that her granddaughter-in-law is a Dalit.
The incident happened at Kanavaipudur village in Tirupattur.
The 80-year-old Kanakammal was eventually buried in Minnur village, about 10 km away, where Kanakammal's elder daughter resides.
Vaniyambadi Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) A Vijaykumar on Saturday arrested Govindapuram panchayat president K Palani under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for refusing to bury Kanakammal in her native village.
Following the arrest, villagers (predominantly belonging to the same dominant caste) gheraoed the DSP office, demanding Palani’s release.
Though Kanakammal's grandson, B Sasikumar belongs to a dominant caste, he had married a Dalit woman.
Hence, the village “heads”, backed by the villagers, had demanded that they would only permit the burial if the couple wouldn’t attend the funeral and Sasikumar and his mother give up their property rights.
Sasikumar’s wife P Sandhya said that after Kanakammal’s death on February 5, the family had informed the village “heads” as per the customary practice. “Immediately, they said there was no place for her in the village. After several negotiations, they said both my husband and I had to leave during the funeral ceremony.
We agreed to it. Then, they said my mother-in-law Amudha would not be allowed to perform the last rites and watch it from a distance. We agreed to that as well.” They further demanded that Amudha donate her properties to the village and that Sasikumar give up his property rights to his sisters and cut ties with his family and village.
Sandhya added that villagers did not allow the icebox (to store the body) to be brought inside the village. They allegedly threatened Amudha that she too would not be given a place for burial when she died. The family was then forced to travel 10 kilometres to Minnur village, where Kanakammal’s elder daughter resided, to bury her there. “This is the village in which she grew up and was married to as well. It was sad to see that there was no place given for her,” Sandhya said.
In April 2024, Sasikumar and Sandhya got married in a private ceremony as Sasikumar’s family had not agreed to their marriage. Following their wedding, Sandhya told TNIE that the village heads, including president Palani, and “seniors” like Babu, Udayakumar, Balu, and Velu, ostracised Sasikumar from the village. “When we came to collect certificates needed to register our marriage, my husband was physically assaulted, and I was derogated with casteist remarks.” Her husband was assaulted a second time when he attended a village festival, she alleged.
On February 7, Sandhya filed a complaint against all five village heads with Vaniyambadi taluk police. DSP Vijaykumar confirmed to TNIE that all five individuals named in the complaint had discriminated against the family due to Sandhya’s caste.