Dalit residents of Kodikkarai village in Nagapattinam district have accused their dominant caste neighbours of segregationist practices, economic boycotts and violence. The perpetrators are from the Sozhia Vellalar caste, who are categorised as Other Backward Class (OBC).
At least two of the accused are functionaries in the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Dalit residents have also alleged that the perpetrators have the support of district and local administrations. A false case has allegedly been filed against one of the victims, a disabled Dalit man.
The issue was brought to light during a press conference held on October 14 in Chennai by May 17 Movement founder Thirumurugan Gandhi. He said that Dalit residents from Anna Nagar in Kodikkarai village have alleged a casteist mob attack on a disabled Dalit man.
The victim, Kandaswami, had gone to the local temple on his special assistive scooter obtained under the Tamil Nadu government’s Retrofitted Petrol Scooters scheme. The vehicles usually have a sticker of Chief Minister MK Stalin, but the one on Kandaswami’s scooter appears to have fallen off.
Lakshmanan, a DMK functionary from the Sozhia Vellalar caste, allegedly verbally abused Kandaswami with casteist slurs for the absence of the sticker. Kandaswami informed his family about the alleged incident after returning home. When they enquired about this with Lakshmanan, they were verbally abused too. Following this, around 10:00 pm, around 20 people from the Sozhia Vellalar caste allegedly attacked Kandaswami and his parents at their home. They also allegedly vandalised his scooter.
Rajendran, another Dalit resident and former president of the Kodikkarai panchayat, tried to intervene, but he and his wife were allegedly attacked as well.
According to Thirumurugan, although the attack happened on August 26, the police began their enquiries only on August 30. Meanwhile, a case of chain-snatching, a non-bailable offence, has been registered against Kandaswami.
None of the accused, including Lakshmanan and another DMK functionary identified as Subramaniyan, have been arrested, Thirumurugan further said.
Lokanathan, a Dalit resident who spoke at the press meet, told TNM that one of the key perpetrators of the attack, identified as Mariyappan, was not included in the police FIR. Mariyappan allegedly travels abroad frequently. The victims believe he was left out of the FIR to avoid travel restrictions.
Most of the Dalit residents are fishermen. They work as daily wage earners on boats owned by Sozhia Vellalars in the neighbourhood. After the attack, the Sozhia Vellalars have allegedly imposed an economic boycott on the Dalit fishermen.
Speaking to TNM, Rajendran said, “The sea is common. We are the labourers who catch the fish. They only own the boats. Now they have imposed a ban and have said that nobody from Anna Nagar should be given work.”
According to Lokanathan, the caste segregationist dual-tumbler system is practised in Kodikkarai. “We are also denied entry into the temple beyond a fixed point. We are forced to address the dominant castes as ayya (sir) even if they are children,” he added.
Lokanathan said that residents are denied service at barber shops in the village and are forced to travel over 10 km to Vedaranyam for haircuts. Dalit residents are also denied the right to erect celebratory banners.
Rajendran alleged to TNM that during his tenure as the panchayat president, he was not given a chair to sit on and that the Sozhia Vellalar vice president managed all affairs. At the time, the panchayat passed a scheme for water connection. The Sozhia Vellalar households were allegedly given one pipe per family, while Dalits were only given one for every five or six houses.
At the press meet, Thirumurugan alleged that both the local and district administrations have failed to put an end to any of these casteist practices or violence.
“The VCK (Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi) and CPI(M) (Communist Party of India - Marxist) have conducted protests at Nagapattinam town and Vedaranyam. But the police have not taken action, Thirumurugan said, adding, “The Superintendent of Police (SP) and Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) have instead asked the residents to disperse without ‘creating an issue’.
Thirumurugan accused Nagapattinam district collector P Akash and the police of complicity in maintaining the practice of untouchability. He added that the collector is yet to visit the area. He further asked why it was impossible for the district administration to identify which areas still practise untouchability and act against it.
Thirumurugan also accused OS Maniyan, the Vedaranyam MLA from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), of inaction and complicity. “The person who committed the crime is a DMK functionary. The MLA is an AIADMK functionary. For the purpose of maintaining caste hegemony, there is a unity among the political class of the state which supersedes party alliances,” Thirumurugan added.
The May 17 Movement said that they would hold protests in Nagapattinam if the violence and segregationist practices remain unresolved.