The Viduthali Chirithaigal Katchi (VCK) has urged the Tamil Nadu government to declare Madurai a caste atrocity-prone zone. In a statement released on September 5, party president and Chidambaram MP Thol Thirumavalavan said, “I have told the CM many times, and I have been saying for decades that a separate intelligence unit is needed to detect in advance the atrocities committed in the name of caste and religion.”
The VCK’s demand comes after the suspicious death of a Dalit Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus conductor in Madurai. On September 2, the body of 43-year-old G Ramakrishnan was found at a dumpyard near Austinpatti in Madurai district.
Reports say Ramakrishnan had recently lost an election for the treasurer post of a trade union. His wife, Ramuthulasi, has alleged injuries on his body in her police complaint. Police have reportedly registered a case of suspicious death, and the post mortem is under way.
Thirumavalavan, after meeting Ramakrishnan’s family in Madurai, said Ramakrishnan was a member of a trade union affiliated with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). “The trade union was divided into two or three factions during the election. It both said that the rival candidate won and that he was on the verge of defeat. We cannot tell what manipulations took place in that election. Ramakrishnan faced threats and harassment, according to his wife and father, Gurusamy. The family strongly suspects that this death is unlikely to be a suicide and is more likely a murder,” he added.
The VCK has demanded that the investigation be handled by a special police team and plans to approach the Madras High Court to press this demand. Thirumavalavan further said, “I have told the CM many times, and I have been saying for decades that a separate intelligence unit is needed to detect in advance the atrocities committed in the name of caste and religion. Only on that basis can such actions be curbed to some extent.”
He also emphasised the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act should be properly implemented. “There is great delay and reluctance in implementing this law. Murder cases were often registered under Section 174 CrPC and now under BNS Section 194. Police later close the case as a suicide. Such a situation is deeply worrying,” he said, urging the state government to act responsibly, pay special attention, and ensure justice for the victims.”
The VCK also handed over Rs 75,000 in aid to Ramakrishnan’s family.
Earlier calls to declare Madurai atrocity-prone
On August 30, Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] state secretary P Shanmugam demanded that the five southern districts — Madurai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, and Thoothukudi — be declared caste atrocity-prone. Speaking in Madurai at a public conference organised by the NGO Evidence on caste killings, he accused both the DMK and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) of consolidating dominant caste-based vote banks.
Demands to declare certain districts in Tamil Nadu, particularly in the south, as caste atrocity-prone have been longstanding. After the murder of Dalit IT professional Kavin Selvaganesh in Tirunelveli in July, similar calls were made.
In 2022, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs stated that 37 out of the 38 districts in Tamil Nadu are atrocity prone. A 2021 RTI response to Evidence revealed that between 2016 and 2020, 300 Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) persons were murdered in Tamil Nadu, but only 13 convictions were recorded. Thoothukudi district had the highest number of murders (29), followed by Madurai (28), with nine cases in Madurai city alone. At that time, 20 of the Madurai cases were still pending in court.
In 2023, the NGO Citizens Monitoring and Vigilance Committee (CMVC) released district-wise data on caste atrocity cases pending trial in special courts. The Tirunelveli special court had 822 cases pending trial — the highest in the state — followed by the Madurai SC/ST special court with 668 cases.