DINDIGUL: Four members of a family, belonging to a Scheduled Caste community in Palani Taluk, were allegedly assaulted by two youngsters last Tuesday (January 20) in a scuffle, which broke out after the family opposed the two for causing a nuisance in their neighbourhood around midnight by riding a motorcycle fitted with an aftermarket exhaust. One of the family members alleged that the youngsters, belonging to a caste Hindu community, also hurled casteist slurs at them.
An officer from the Swaminathapuram police station said that a case has been registered against the suspects -- Vasant and Durgairaj -- under sections 3(1) and 3(2) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2015, and sections 115(2) and 296 of the BNS, 2023. Sources said the suspects are absconding.
Two of the victims -- M Mayakrishan (33) and his mother Deivanai -- are being treated at a hospital for internal injuries to their chest and shoulders, while his aunt Ramaiyi and mother-in-law Amsaveni were discharged on Saturday morning.
Mayakrishan, an AC mechanic, told TNIE that his children were frightened by a loud noise around midnight on January 20 near their house on Therku Theru in Periya Thottanudu, Palani Taluk. "When the two youngsters rode past our house again, we realised that their motorcycle was causing the disturbance. When all four of us objected and asked them to stop, the youngsters turned aggressive. They attacked my mother, aunt, and mother-in-law, slapped me, and even pushed me to the ground. They also hurled caste-based slurs at my relatives," he claimed.
Gopal, Mayakrishan's brother, claimed that Durgairaj, just a few days ago, threatened a man from the Scheduled Caste community over a petty issue. "Being from a dominant community, the youngsters appear to believe they have authority over everyone in the area," he said. Vasant purchased a "Bullet" motorcycle three months ago, and the youngsters claimed that the noisy midnight ride was a part of them celebrating a birthday, he added.