India is celebrating its 76th Independence Day but in many panchayats in Tamil Nadu, the local body leaders from the schedule caste and schedule tribes hoisted the flags in the presence of district administration officials after the state Chief Secretary wrote a letter to all District Collectors to ensure that elected leaders are not facing any discrimination on the ground of their caste.
The order was issued after a Dalit panchayat President in Chinnasalem, Kallakurichi, wrote a letter to the SP seeking protection to hoist the national flag on Independence Day. The elected representative had alleged that members of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of the school where the function is held was preventing her from doing it since she belongs to a Dalit community.
On August 11, Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF) released the report stating that in 24 districts, nearly 20 panchayat presidents were unable to hoist the national flag during the occasions prevalence of caste discrimination. TNM spoke to panchayat leaders who belong to Scheduled Communities to check if the discrimination is widespread. While some elected representatives said they have faced discriminationand were barred from hoisting national flags, others have denied the allegation made in the report
“I was elected by the people to represent them and I've been a panchayat President since 2020. But, in the past, I could never hoist the tricolor in the local high school but this time, I was able to hoist the flag,” says Suresh Kannan, President of Manjanviduthi panchayati in Pudukkottai district. Speaking to TNM, Suresh Kannan said he consulted the school head master last year but was not allowed to do so. They said it was the decision of the PTA and the school headmaster hoisted the flag. “Before I got elected to this post, other panchayat presidents used to hoist the flag but I was denied the opportunity,” Suresh Kannan told TNM over the phone.
Manjanviduthi in Thiruvarankulam block in Pudukkottai is one of the panchayats mentioned in the report. The report also listed panchayats which haven’t allegedly provided name boards for presidents if they belong to the SC/ST communities. It stated that, so far, 42 panchayats don't have name boards for the panchayat presidents and in 22 panchayats, panchayat leaders are not permitted to sit in the chairs.
But contrary to what the report said, some panchayat leaders, stated they have not faced such discrimination. "Today morning, I hoisted a flag without any trouble as usual," says Palanisamy, President, Alampatti panchayat in Ponnamaravathy block of Pudukottai. Palaniami said volunteers from the TNUEF called the panchayat office to know the ground reality. “But, in our panchayat, I haven’t faced such discrimination,” he said.
Chandhra Samuel, President of Sithuvarpatti panchayat in Dindigul district, said on Monday the flag was hoisted in the presence of the District Collector. “I have been a panchayat leader for three years and have not faced any such issues so far,” Chandra said.
Ramamoorthy, the panchayat leader of Nallikottai in Mayiladuthurai, also said there were no issues in their village. “I have been hoisting the flag for the past three years ever since I was elected and nobody has opposed it,” he said.
However, things were different for Vellaimmal, President of Thidiyam panchayat in Madurai. Speaking to TNM, she said that there was police protection for the first time in her tenure of three years for hoisting the flag. “I was a little scared before hoisting the flag today as I was worried people might object to it. Usually, they are rude to me and keep demeaning me saying that I have not done anything for the village. But today, since the police officers were there, they sat in silence and did not not object to it,” Vellaimmal said.
On August 12, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu wrote to all District Collectors in the state asking them to ensure that no elected leader in any local body is prevented from hoisting the flag on Independence Day on the grounds of their caste.
In his statement, he also noted that the practice of untouchability has been abolished under Article 17 of the Indian Constitution. And practicing such discrimination in any form is a punishable offense.
As per section 3(1)(m) of the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, preventing or threatening any constitutionally elected member belonging to SC/ST communities from doing their duties is a punishable offense. If the administration faces any trouble while implementing the order, it can deploy police officers and can announce a help line. The DCs were asked to submit a report on the measures taken for the smooth conduct of the event before the eve of Independence Day and another report on August 17 after the conclusion of the events.