Catholic fraternities ruptured in this TN village when Dalits asked for equality

Beyond caste atrocities that often come to public attention, TNM seeks to take an in-depth look into instances of caste bias that go unnoticed in the larger picture. Who has access to water? Who gets help first in a calamity? These are questions we look at in this series. Besides investigating the reasons for the prevalence of caste discrimination in various spheres, Echoes of Inequality looks into the roles played by the district administration, civil society, and the media in enabling and perpetuating caste bias.

“Your status as Paraiyar will never change…Your religion might change, but not your caste. Wherever you go, you will have a separate burial ground.” 

This shocking statement was delivered by the Tahsildar of Thiruverumbur taluk in Tamil Nadu, T Jayaprakash, at a public meeting on July 20, 2023. He was addressing Dalit Christians at a peace committee after they brought a complaint to him about caste-based discrimination. They alleged that they were dealing with extreme segregation in every aspect of village and church life at the hands of dominant caste Christians in their village as well as caste Hindus.

So ingrained is the discrimination that when a priest explained how there was no caste system in Christianity, the caste Christians and Hindus conspired to chase him out of the village.