Weeks after several huts in a Dalit colony in Seshasamudaram village in Villupuram district were gutted allegedly by men belonging to a upper caste, and day after boys of the two groups clashed at a temple in Villupuram, two more houses belonging to a Dalit family have been reportedly burnt down.
The incident happened on Monday morning around 8am, according to media reports.
The victims have told The New Indian Express that their houses were set on fire by men belonging to the Vanniyar caste by throwing petrol-bombs. They claim that they were targeted for speaking to the media about the earlier incident of violence.
Victims say that when the clashes broke out on August 15, the members of the said family had moved to another village to safety. But when they got back, the spoke to the media about the violence they had witnessed. This, they say, irked the members of the Vanniyar caste.
A family member also claims that they have received death threats from the Vanniyar community for speaking to the media.
Their house has reportedly been entirely gutted, with household items and electronic goods damaged. No one was injured.
There has been simmering tension in the district of Villupuram in Tamil Nadu for the past two weeks after men from the Vanniyar caste are alleged to have entered a Dalit colony in the Seshasamudaram village and burnt down several houses. At least 40 were injured in the violence and 15 houses were burnt down, along with a temple car which was the source of the controversy.
Earlier this week, there were reports of a clash between members of the two communities during a temple event.