Residents of Perumpathu and Indira Colony (belonging to Dalit and BC communities) in Nanguneri block of Tirunelveli district boycotted the state Assembly elections on Thursday, April 23, in protest against recent caste violence against them. Two people, including a person with a disability, were killed during the incident.
While officials held discussions to persuade them to exercise their electoral rights, the residents remained defiant and refrained from voting. The villagers said that, despite the gravity of the incident, no one, including the District Collector, visited them or assured them of justice. According to the residents, the victims were not offered any compensation.
On March 2, seven sickle-wielding men from a neighbouring village, belonging to a dominant intermediate caste, launched an indiscriminate attack on the residents. Two persons—John Mark and a migrant worker from Odisha—were killed in the incident, while six others were injured.
Seven men were arrested in the case: Kannan (21), Vasantha Kumar (21), Anthony Michel (18), Uchimahali alias Mittai (20), Raja alias Esakkiraja (19), Subbaia alias Subash (19), and Kalyani (19). Among those arrested, two had previously been booked in a similar caste atrocity case. The motive of the attack was to intimidate and silence Dalit youth.
According to reports, Perumpathu village has a total of 969 voters, including 471 men and 498 women. Owing to the boycott, the polling station remained deserted.
Meanwhile, by 5 pm, the state had recorded 82.24% of votes.