Kumar* and Kaveri*, a Dalit couple hailing from a village in Tamil Nadu’s Ariyalur district are still in shock. Their 5-year-old daughter was allegedly sexually abused by a 56-year-old man from the dominant Vanniyar caste. Going against the wishes of most of the villagers, all of whom belong to the accused’s caste, the couple filed a complaint with the Irumbilikurichi Police Station on April 22 this year.
An evidence report by a fact finding team from an NGO reports that on the day they filed the complaint, close to a hundred persons from the dominant caste barged into the station, insisting that they solve the issue without a police complaint. The couple were also threatened of serious repercussions if they went ahead with the complaint. Nonetheless, Kumar and Kaveri filed their complaint mainly because of a similar incident that happened in 2018.
“In February 2018, my child was sexually abused by a different young man from the same community and when we confronted him, his family and other villagers came to his support and forced us to solve the matter without police intervention. The guy was warned and sent away from the village. This time we do not want to fall for their tricks,” claims Kumar.
While Rajadurai, the accused, is now under judicial remand with an FIR filed under section 10 of POCSO and 506(1) of IPC, Kumar and Kaveri are far from receiving justice for the treatment meted out to their family.
The couple, who allege intimidation by the villagers, share that they feel threatened by those around them. On May 1, Kaveri wrote to the Chief Secretary requesting for police protection, following which action was taken.
While the police has not registered a formal complaint on their allegations of intimidation, a couple of officers have been stationed close to their house. Even with police protection, Kumar and Kaveri tell us that they are being isolated by the rest of the village, making life tough for them and their family.
“My wife cooks for a school in the village and I work as a drinking water supplier. Ever since we went against the wishes of the villagers and filed a complaint, they have been isolating us. They’ve also said that my wife should not cook at the school anymore and they’ve replaced me with someone else for the work that I was doing,” says Kumar, adding, “All of this is because a person from a lower caste has refused to listen to the warnings issued by those from a dominant caste.”
The investigating officers, on the other hand, allege that Kumar and Kaveri have a "poor reputation" in the village and that their fears are made up. This, they feel is enough reason to be dismissive of their concerns. With little support from villagers, Kumar and Kaveri appear to have an uphill legal battle ahead of them.
*names changed to protect identity.