SC people are living in constant fear in Tirunelveli district: fact-finding team

There has been a steady rise in the number of heinous crimes against people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Tirunelveli district, said A Kathir, Executive Director, Evidence, a Madurai-based NGO here on Tuesday.

He told The Hindu that in the last 10 to 14 days alone, six murders had been reported in the district, apart from the gruesome attacks, including the one in which a 11th standard SC boy and his sister were targeted by the boy’s classmates in which the siblings suffered multiple injuries and undergoing treatment. Though the accused were arrested, the SC people were living in constant fear.

Even after the State government gave an assurance to put an end to such atrocities only four days ago, N Rajamani (32), a ward councillor from Keezhanatham panchayat (Reserve), was brutally murdered on Sunday. The police have arrested three Caste Hindu men.

A fact-finding team from the Evidence visited Keezhanatham on Monday. Rajamani, belonging to Devendrakula Vellalar, was murdered for a flimsy reason. Narayanan, the father of the deceased, said the three drunk men aged 22 to 25, using an ‘aruval’ slashed Rajamani, who was sitting on a culvert, grazing goats near the Palayam channel in Keezhanatham Vadakkur area.

Usually, Narayanan takes the goats for grazing. Since Rajamani did not have any work on Sunday, he offered to do the job. He was sitting on the culvert and browsing his phone when the youths came there and picked up a wordy altercation with him for not giving them respect.

Rajamani, a graduate, got married three years ago. His wife has done aeronautical engineering. Rajamani was running a small grocery shop. Most of the youngsters from the SC community in the village were well-educated and about 15 people were employed in government departments.

Since Rajamani is said to be friendly with all, his murder was all the more shocking for the villagers.

Mr. Kathir said the widow of Rajamani should be given ₹25 lakh as compensation and a government job as she was academically well-qualified. His parents should be given a monthly pension of ₹15,000. The police should arrest the remaining suspects and until the case was completed, courts should not grant bail to the accused.

The Chief Minister should review the police stations in Tirunelveli district and transfer caste Hindus to other zones in the State, because they do not have the inclination to take action against culprits belonging to their own community. As a result, the Dalits suffered humiliation and felt insecure.

Tirunelveli must be declared “murder prone” since brutal murders were happening on a routine manner. The government should also form a special wing to curb crimes against the SC/STs, Mr. Kathir added.

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