After facing caste-based discrimination for nearly five decades, around 200 Dalit families in Chellappankulam village, Tiruvannamalai district, Tamil Nadu, entered the village’s Mariamman temple on Wednesday, August 2 amidst heavy police protection. At least 500 police personnel were engaged to provide security and prevent any untoward incident.
According to The New Indian Express, the temple entry issue was raised following an argument between a person from the Dalit community who argued for temple entry rights of Dalits and another person from the dominant Vanniyar community on social media last month. The argument led to violence between the two communities.
Following this confrontation, Dalit families in the village filed a petition to the district revenue officials and the police demanding access to the temple. The petition also mentioned that they would enter the temple on the morning of August 2. After the petition was filed, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) MS Muthuswamy and a large number of police officers were deployed to prevent any clashes or violence between the Dalits and Vanniyars.
According to TNIE, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Tiruvannamalai SP Karthikeyan said that they had conducted three peace talks between members of both the communities and the Vanniyars relented. He further added that they were able to avoid any violence till date.
Members from the Dalit community told TNIE that the 100 year old temple was built together by the dominant castes and their community but at some point they were denied entry. One person noted that their community was very satisfied today as they were able to enter the temple after many decades.