Vadakadu village in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukottai district witnessed tensions over caste violence on Monday night, May 5, following a clash between Muthuraja/Mutharaiyar (Most Backward Classes) and Paraiyar (Scheduled Caste) communities. More than 10 people who were injured in the violence are undergoing treatment at Alangudi Government Hospital and Pudukkottai Government Medical College Hospital, media reports said.
A house belonging to a Dalit family and two two-wheelers were also torched. Windshields of a government bus were also damaged in the attack. The violence happened even as a temple festival was underway in the Muthumariamman temple in the village.
While the district police blamed both the communities for the violence and claimed that the altercation broke out at a petrol station, ground reports said derogatory casteist remarks made against Dalits during the temple festival led to the violence. Both the communities have a long history of conflict.
As part of the temple ritual, Dalits carried ceremonial umbrellas in a traditional procession. In response to this, some members of the Muthuraja community allegedly provoked them by making derogatory comments questioning the right of Dalits to carry umbrellas. The argument quickly escalated into a fight after four individuals from the Muthuraja community allegedly returned in vehicles and attacked Dalit residents, according to reports.
According to reports, over 100 people from the Muthuraja community stormed the Dalit settlement and launched a coordinated attack. Police however downplayed the incident and blamed both the communities for the violence.
In a statement, Pudukottai police said that the violence broke out at around 9.30pm on May 5 near the Indian petrol pump in Vadakadu. “ A verbal altercation broke out between members of both groups over who should fill petrol first. This led to heated exchanges, and both parties left the scene. Subsequently, members of the Adi Dravidar group (Dalits) went to their residential area, where another argument broke out between the two groups, escalating into physical violence,” police said.
Police said suspects involved in the incident have been detained and are being questioned. Alcohol consumption is also suspected to have played a role, they said.
According to reports, police have arrested 14 suspects, and cases have been filed under the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act based on the complaint from the SC community. Suspects belonging to the Dalit community have been charged with attempt-to-murder based on complaints filed by members of the Muthuraja community.
The situation was brought under control following the intervention of Pudukkottai Superintendent of Police Abhishek Gupta and Tamil Nadu Law Minister S Regupathy, who visited the spot late on Monday night. Police personnel have since been deployed in Vadakadu to prevent further tensions, The Hindu reported.
Police have appealed for calm and cautioned against spreading misinformation.