Madurai: Dalit women from various walks of life shared insights on
overcoming challlenges they faced due to discrimination, especially as dalit women in
society, at a conference in Madurai on Saturday.
The event titled ‘Dalit Penn Aalumaigal Pesugirargal’, organised by dalit rights NGO
Evidence, saw dalit women personalities from fields such as education, sports and
politics discuss issues surrounding caste discrimination and patriarchy.
Dalit women from various fields gathered at the ‘Dalit Women Personalities Speaks’ event to share their experiences of struggles and challenges they have overcome.
The event which started with conferring the human rights activist 2023 award to Murugan Kanna of Tirunelveli for his contribution in bringing out caste-related violence to the public, was organised by Evidence, a Madurai-based NGO on Saturday.
Speaking to The Hindu, A. Kathir, executive director of Evidence, said the event would be an eye-opener to the audience to know about the struggles the Dalit women overcame to achieve such great heights.
“Unlike the previous years when the organisation and a few experts would be discussing various topics, this year it is only the women who will speak about their experiences they gained through their life,” he added.
Women from politics, education, business, medicine, sports, activism, and others spoke furiously about their battle they fought to win over the discriminations and dominations.
Shalin Maria Lawrence, writer, said, “Many parties in the State advocating for Dalit rights are hesitant to talk about the internal caste politics.”
The politics played by the parties affects women the most who are at the forefront of struggle for food and money, she added.
Thamizhini of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi said that Dalit women leaders should learn to exercise their power effectively as the reservation is only an affirmation of our leaders to the society and that itself is not a success.
“Women leaders should be educated to tackle and win over the challenges and discriminations they face in their own households,” she added.
A professor named Balasundari shared her experiences about getting beaten by the villagers of intermediary castes for wearing slippers in a rally. Remembering the incident, she said, it was the moment she got the determination to pursue education to the highest possible level.
“Working as a professor in a prestigious university is not an easy task for a woman like me from a particular community. I braved various challenges in the form of character assassinations and denial of rights and many things,” she added.
Such struggles motivated her to push many children who were unable to bear the experiences of caste-based discriminations in achieving their goals, said Ms. Balasundari.
She advised the Dalit women to educate themselves and their children against all odds to gain confidence in fighting the social disease called caste.
Many women leaders at panchayat and municipality level shared their experiences in overcoming the entrenched discriminations against them by officials, fellow villagers and other leaders.
“This demotivates us and makes us think at least thrice before taking each step. Each mistake committed by us will reflect on our whole society,” they noted.
Nandakumar, a Dalit youth, was killed over a monetary dispute with a person from an intermediate caste at Pandaarampatti in Thoothukudi district on Friday. His relatives and villagers staged a protest on Saturday. | Photo Credit: N. Rajesh
The recent spike in heinous crimes perpetrated against Dalits in Tamil Nadu, especially in the southern districts and increasingly across other parts, has shown that anti-Dalit violence and discrimination continues to be the Achilles heel of the otherwise well-intentioned Dravidian movement, a champion of social justice, rationalism, and equality in Tamil Nadu for over 100 years.
Political organisations, NGOs, and activists agree that the recent trend of crimes against the Scheduled Castes is noticeable not only due to better and improved reporting of cases, but an actual significant increase in heinous crimes against them in Tamil Nadu.
Five persons, including a seven-year-old boy, belonging to a scheduled caste, were attacked by two youths of the intermediate caste with swords near Perungudi in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai on Monday night.
According to the FIR accessed by indianexpress.com, the three men were identified as Ganapathi Kumar, Vijay Kumar and Ajith Kumar, all daily wage labourers, who were standing near a stage setup for a drama and chatting before heading to work on Monday evening.
Around 7.15 pm, two youths identified as R Mari and K Sasikumar, came on a motorcycle in an inebriated condition and enquired about one Kannapillai. When the labourers replied that they did not know about his whereabouts, it led to an altercation. Soon, one of the accused pulled out a sword and attacked the youths.
The police said the accused inflicted injuries to the victims on their limbs. The seven-year-old too sustained cut injuries on his feet.
Hearing the screams of the victims, the onlookers rushed to the spot but the assailants managed to flee.
Based on a complaint by Ganapathi, the Perungudi police registered a case under Section 294 (b) (sings, recites, or utters any obscene song ballad or words, in or near public place) 307 (attempt to commit murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) 352 (assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and also under the provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
A senior officer said they have arrested Mari while Sasikumar is absconding. The officer added that three others, Arun Kumar, Sundaramoorthy and Muthusamy, who helped the duo or were somehow connected with the incident, were also arrested. A manhunt is on to nab Sasikumar.
“We went there and found some facts. The victims basically do flex banner works and Mari is a water tanker driver while Sasikumar works as a mason. The incident shows how much they have been influenced since their early age by caste pride,” he said.
In a statement Kathir said that the ‘Aruval Kalacharam’ (sickle/sword culture implying people taking weapons in their hands to settle scores) has started to surface even in Madurai after it began in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi.
He noted that the accused should not be released on bail and the government should provide a compensation of Rs 3 lakh each to all the four victims.
MADURAI: Police registered a case against two caste Hindus for assaulting five persons from the SC community, including a 7-year-old boy, in Perungudi on Monday evening.
According to police, Ajith (28), Vijayakumar (27), Ganapathikumar (28), Periyasamy (60) and his seven-year-old grandson sustained minor cut injuries and are undergoing treatment at Government Rajaji Hospital.
Police are on the lookout for suspects R Mari and K Sasikumar. According to sources, the accused came to Perungudi mandhai around 8 pm on Monday where Ajith, Vijayakumar and Ganapathikumar were sitting. They asked them about the whereabouts of Kannan, who also belonged to the SC community. A wordy duel ensued, following which the caste Hindus assaulted Ajith, Vijayakumar and Ganapathikumar with a sickle.
When Periyasamy tried to intervene, the accused assaulted him and his grandson. Perungudi police registered a case under different sections of SC/ST Act and IPC sections including 307 IPC. Two special teams have been formed to nab the accused.
VCK staged a protest in Melur on Tuesday demanding the immediate arrest of the suspects. Executive director of Evidence A Kathir in a release condemned the rise in caste atrocities in Tamil Nadu.
Two instances of violence against Dalits in various parts of Tamil Nadu in the last week were brought to light by activists and protests by members of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), an ally of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
On Monday night, two men belonging to the Thevar community attacked five Dalits including a seven-year-old boy with knives in Madurai district. In another case, a group of around 20 men belonging to the Gounder community assaulted and urinated on two Dalit men on November 20 in Erode district.
The two incidents came to light even after six men belonging to the Most Backward Community were detained under Goondas Act on November 10, for disrobing and urinating on two Dalit men.
A fact-finding team of Madurai based non-governmental organisation (NGO) Evidence visited Perungudi in the district on Tuesday and found that the accused were intoxicated and were in search of a Dalit man. The accused R Mari and R Sasikumar asked for the whereabouts of the Dalit man A Kannan to three locals from the same community- Ajit, Vijay and Ganapathi.
Madurai police arrested one of the two accused on Wednesday. They have been booked for attempted murder and one accused is still absconding. Police and activists said that there has been no motive established in this case. “We have arrested one today and we will arrest the other accused soon,” a senior police officer in Madurai said.
In the other crime in Erode, according to the police complaint filed, a group of Gounder men assaulted two Dalits who are goat grazers because they saw them consume liquor. They got into an altercation on November 20 in Gobichettipalayam in the district which continued to the next day. The victims lodged a complaint based on which police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against 20 people but no arrests have been made so far. The accused have given a counter complaint that the Dalits tried to steal poultry from them. The district authorities conducted a ‘peace committee meeting’ on Tuesday between the Dalits and the Gounder community but the former is demanding swift arrests in the case. “We are getting to the bottom of the case and working on restoring peace,” a police officer said.
In the Erode crime, the complainant said, “When we felt like we were getting unconscious and asked for water, they urinated in our mouths.” “We were beaten with iron rods until we fainted,” he added.
Various sections of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 were invoked in both cases.
In a shocking incident, five persons, including a five-year-old boy, belonging to a Scheduled Caste, sustained bleeding injuries when two youth attacked them with swords at Perungudi near here on Monday night.
According to police, the youth came to the ground in Perungudi on a motorcycle at 7.15 p.m. When they saw a few people sitting on the drama stage, they enquired them about one Kannan. When the locals said they did not know about Kannan, a wordy quarrel erupted between them, Superintendent of Police R. Shiva Prasad said.
The duo suddenly pulled out swords and attacked M. Ganapathi Kumar, 28, Ajith and Vijayakumar. Periyasamy, who was carrying on his shoulders his five-year-old grandson, tried to prevent the attack. The assailants attempted to attack him too. When the man tried to escape, the blade inflicted cut injuries on the feet of the boy.
The accused, R. Mari, a water tanker driver, and K. Sasikumar, a mason, both from an intermediate caste, fled the scene. Mari had a criminal case pending against him. The injured have been admitted to Government Rajaji Hospital.
The SP said the motive for the attack was under investigation. The police were on the lookout for the assailants and also Kannan. Police pickets have been posted at the village.
Perungudi police have registered a case of attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
On Tuesday, A. Kathir, executive director of Madurai-based NGO Evidence, said after Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi, attacks against SC people appeared to have surfaced in Madurai.
The five Dalits were dangerously attacked by two men, who had not even spared a little boy. A fact-finding team from Evidence visited Perungudi and found that the boy was suffering from fever and his grandfather was carrying him when they were attacked.
The team found that the assailants were drunk and used unparliamentary words. The victims did not know why they were attacked, the team members said.
The SC people were under constant fear and inaction by law-enforcers had encouraged the attackers, Mr. Kathi said, and demanded their immediate arrest.
Perungudi police should be directed to speed up investigation and file a charge sheet within two months. The State government should ensure that the accused were not granted bail until charge sheet was filed, he stressed.
He urged the government to give ₹3 lakh compensation each to the four adult victims of the attack and ₹5 lakh to the boy.
PUDUKKOTTAI : A police team led by Keeranur DSP R Sengottuvelvan is on the hunt for suspects for allegedly assaulting a 16-year-old boy from a dalit community and abetting his suicide for speaking to a girl from kallar community. The DSP said, “The accused will be in custody within a couple of days. The suicide of V Vishnukumar, 16, from Adi Dravidar Street in Themmavur near Kulathur in Pudukkottai district, on November 3 has turned out to be a case of caste-based atrocity.
His mother, Uma, 40, and family have alleged that he hanged himself at his home just hours after being physically assaulted and verbally abused by a boy and several others from the kallar community near a library in Keeranur on Friday.<br>Initially, the Udaiyalipatti police in Pudukkottai registered the case as a suicide. Later, they modified the charges to include abetment of suicide, verbal abuse, and voluntarily causing harm under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.<br>Evidence, an NGO, also took up the issue and conducted a field investigation in the village on Sunday. Executive director A Kathir of Evidence issued a report and held a press conference in Madurai on Monday. He said Vishnukumar’s fellow students at the Government Boys’ Higher Secondary School in Keeranur revealed that he was attacked for speaking to a girl from the upper caste. “He was attacked around 9 am and he suffered mental agony for two hours before ending his life by 11.30 am. A WhatsApp message sent by the boy to one of his friends just before his suicide also indicated that he took this drastic step due to caste-based discrimination,” Kathir said.
Evidence called on the state government to provide a compensation of 25 lakh and a monthly pension of 15,000 to the boy’s family.