NGO working for dalit rights, has demanded that the government pay compensation to the dalits at Iraiyur village in district where children recently fell sick after faecal matter was found to have been mixed in the drinking water tank. Evidence executive director KATHIR said in a statement that it is disappointing that no accused has been arrested though three cases were registered under various sections, including under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The NGO which conducted a field visit in the village said many villagers still face health issues. “The state government must at least take steps to conduct medical camps and provide suitable treatment,” he added. It was found that dominant community members had encroached on poromboke lands near the dalit colony, he said while calling upon the authorities to immediately remove them. Tnn
The State government should immediately give monetary relief to the Dalits at Vengaivayal village in Pudukottai district where faeces was found in drinking water stored in an overhead tank, said A. Kathir, director, Madurai-based NGO Evidence, here on Saturday.
Speaking to The Hindu, he said a fact-finding team from Evidence visited the village on Friday
MADURAI: NGO Evidence’s executive director A Kathir on Saturday urged the state government to appoint a committee headed by an IAS officer to hear and solve the grievances of Vengaivayal village in Pudukottai district.Kathir along with his team, after inspecting the village on January 6, said it is a worrying fact that the police are yet to identify and arrest the persons who dumped human excreta inside the water tank that supplies water to the SC villagers.
“Three cases were registered following the incident. However, the most relevant section 3(1)(a) SC/ST Act, which penalises action with the intent to cause injury, insult or annoyance to members of SC/ST community by forcing them to consume any indelible or obnoxious substance, was not added to the pertinent case. The accused in the two other cases appealed for bail and the government counsel did not object to it in court. Hence, three senior counsel members have to be appointed to deal with the cases,” they added.
He further stated that initially, only children from Vengaivayal village suffered from health issues but nowadays adults have also started developing health issues, especially skin issues. “The health department does not provide proper treatment for the people. I urge the health department to make arrangements. The state government must give special attention to the villagers and their grievances. At least a Rs 25 crore fund from the unused Rs 1000 crore from adi dravidar welfare schemes has to be allocated for the village for its development. Two-acre agricultural land and Rs 1.2 lakh have to be provided for each family as compensation,” he added.
Kathir believes that though most Indians agree honour crimes shouldn’t take place, they also sympathise with the parents who commit these crimes. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
He still feels nervous when he talks about the first time he investigated an honour killing. A woman from the martial Naicker caste had eloped with a Dalit man. The villagers tracked them down and brought them back. “They tied her up with a chain in a public place like a dog,” says Kathir, 50, founder of the Tamil Nadu-based non-profit, Evidence, which has legally pursued around 250 honour killings since 2005.