Kin of caste violence victims in Tamil Nadu seek justice

MADURAI: Aggrieved family members of several victims of alleged caste atrocities in the state gathered at Sterling V Grand Hotel in Madurai on Saturday, and submitted petitions to Evidence Executive Director A Kathir seeking action and justice.

The rendezvous was called ‘Caste Atrocities in Tamil Nadu’, where around 30 cases were discussed in the presence of panel members Kathir, Advocates B B Mohan and Jayana Kothari, Madras High Court Advocate Ezhil Caroline, Director of Human Rights Advocacy and Research Foundation Edwin, LAAS Director Advocate A Sandhanam, and Loyola College Professor Semmalar.

The cases included that of Ajithkumar, from scheduled caste community, who studied in Thanjavur Medical College. He was allegedly killed in 2017. His parents said their son had taken part in a protest against the death of Anitha, which they claimed, backfired. The victim’s mother said, “The warden passed derogatory remarks based on our caste. On March 16, I got a call saying my son had died of stomachache, but the postmortem report concluded heart attack.”

One of the victims of the Vengaivayal case, in which human faeces was allegedly mixed in a water tank of the scheduled caste community by caste Hindus in 2023, said that despite an FIR being filed, no action has been taken. He alleged that the police diverted the case against the victims. Advocate B B Mohan said, “The evidence has been destroyed by the police.”

In a case of alleged honor killing from 2023, pregnant woman Ramya was killed by her in-laws after she refused to abort her three-month-old foetus. Ramya’s father from Andipatti said that she had a love marriage with an ambulance driver, a caste Hindu. Based on Ramya’s father’s complaint, the accused was arrested. “The government provided us `10 lakh, pension, and a job,” said the panel.

The next was about Rajesh (26), who was allegedly killed by Mariyappan and Mandhira Murthi at Viswanathapuram in Tenkasi. Rajesh’s father said the family received `12 lakh compensation and pension. But, he called the government job an eye wash. Edwin, a panel member said, as per norms, the victims should be given a home, pension, job, farmland, emergency relief, and free education to their children.