The segregated burial ground that an Arunthathiyar (a Dalit caste) family in Coimbatore distirct’s Onnakarasampalayam village was forced to bury their 102-year-old relative in, is a good 2 km away from where they live. “There is no proper road and the path there slopes downwards,” says Balamahendra, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi’s (VCK) district deputy secretary. “There is also a stream blocking the way. If it rains, access is completely cut off. It is a small, cent-and-a-half piece of land. Right now, it is so full that bodies will have to be exhumed to make room for new ones,” he says. Balamahendra, who has been interceding on the family’s behalf, adds that the common burial ground — commandeered by the neighbouring upper castes, particularly the Gounders — is at a distance of 50-100 m, accessible by a well-constructed, tarred road. Yet, on Saturday night, December 3, despite the family of 102-year-old Rangamal raising all these concerns, the Gounders refused to allow access to the ironically-named common burial ground.
Onnakarasampalayam village near Annur in Coimbatore saw heavy police deployment for a few hours after Rangamal’s family blocked the road and protested with her body until the early hours of December 4. The additional superintendent of police (ASP) Selvaraj, Annur police station’s inspector Nithya, Annur’s tahsildar Thangaraj, and the panchayat president all arrived at the site, but ultimately the Dalit family had to take Rangamal’s body to the segregated burial ground. Authorities have also promised to allocate additional space. Why the government officials failed to secure the family access to the common burial ground and instead allowed for a segregationist practice to continue is a question that remains unanswered.
Balamahendera tells TNM that Rangamal’s family had even said that they would bury her 50 feet away from where the Gounders bury their dead, if given access to the common burial ground, but the Gounders hadn’t agreed to even that. He also adds that the Gounders in the area have the strength of numbers. There are about 100 Gounder families, compared to the 50 Arunthathiyar families, he says. “Apart from the four or five Gounders among them who did not have an issue with the common burial ground being used by both castes, the rest have strong ties to caste identities,” he adds.