In a new twist to the horrific incident of alleged caste violence in Nanguneri town, it has emerged that two of the accused were previously charged for another caste attack a few years ago. Their identities were withheld at the time under the Juvenile Justice Act.
On March 2 this year, seven sickle-wielding men launched an indiscriminate attack in Perumpaththu village near Nanguneri. A disabled Dalit man and a migrant worker from Odisha were killed in the attack. Six others, including individuals from an Other Backward Class (OBC) community, have reportedly been injured.
Seven men have now been arrested. They have been identified as Kannan (21), Vasantha Kumar (21), Anthony Michel (18), Uchimahali alias Mittai (20), Raja alias Esakkiraja (19), Subbaia, alias Subash (19), and Kalyani (19).
Though the police did not initially confirm the motive, it has now emerged that the attack was planned by a group of young men from dominant intermediate castes to intimidate and silence Dalit youth.
One of the accused is the nephew of DMK’s Nanguneri Union Secretary RS Sudalaikannu. However, Sudalaikannu told TNM that he has had no relationship with his nephew for the past five years.
Nanguneri had barely recovered from a previous caste attack, when the latest one happened. In August 2023, seven teenage boys from the Maravar (Most Backward Class) community brutally attacked Chinnadurai with sickles inside his home in Nanguneri town. He was grievously wounded but survived the attack. His 13-year-old sister, who ran to Chinnadurai hearing his cries, was also injured.
The attackers were allegedly enraged by Chinnadurai’s stellar academic performance. Chinnadurai had also allegedly been subjected to casteist harassment for four years before the attack.
Following the attack and widespread outrage, the state government constituted a one-person commission headed by retired Justice K Chandru. After its investigations, the commission recommended a ban on the practice of wearing coloured threads to signify a person’s caste and other caste markers from schools.
According to reports, Perumpaththu residents from both BC and Dalit communities staged protests following the attack. Reports also say that the attack was the result of ongoing caste rivalry between the BC community and the Maravars.