Thanjavur police have arrested a caste Hindu man in the Pattukottai taluk of the district for hitting a nomadic tribal woman with a slipper. Swaminathan — who hails from the Agamudayar caste (classified as Backward Class in Tamil Nadu) and resides in the Jothipuram village of Kurichi — was arrested on Sunday, April 23, after a video of him hitting the tribal woman came to light. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Annamalai later said in a tweet that Swaminathan is a spouse of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Women’s Wing functionary Deepalakshmi.
In the video, Swaminathan can be seen directing two tribal women to put down the plastic bottles and bags they have collected and leave the place immediately. One of the women was carrying a toddler with her. Swaminathan then went on to hit a woman with a slipper. The women have been identified as Podhumponnu and Nadiyammal of the Adiyan community, classified as a Scheduled Tribe (ST) in the state. The video subsequently triggered outrage on social media. After coming to know of the incident, Kurichi Village Administrative Officer (VAO) Santhalingam filed a complaint with the Vattathikottai police.
The police booked Swaminathan under sections 294(b) (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place) and 355 (assaults or uses criminal force to any person, intending thereby to dishonour that person) of the Indian Penal Code, and sections 3(1)(r) (intentionally insults or intimidates with intent to humiliate a SC (Scheduled Caste) or ST person in any place within public view) and 3(2)(va) (commits any offence specified in the Schedule against a person knowing they are a member of an SC/ST group) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Condemning the incident, BJP’s Annamalai urged the government to ensure the safety of people belonging to SC and ST groups in the state. “These attacks are an extension of the violence meted out by the DMK against SCs and STs, even as they make false claims about social justice for publicity,” Annamalai alleged.
It is to be noted that Mangalampettai police of Cuddalore district arrested a tea shop owner last week for refusing to give tea to a Narikorava man and his grandson. Annadurai, an Udayar man, allegedly hit Kuppan with a chair when the latter asked him why he was denied tea at his stall.