A Dalit family residing in Manapparai town of Trichy district have alleged that police failed to register an FIR on time and effectively probe their complaints regarding caste-based harassment and physical attacks by dominant caste Urali Gounders. The alleged incidents of violence include pouring urine on a minor child and a physical attack on a woman.
A report in The New Indian Express said a four member Dalit family - Illango and Rasathi and their 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old-son - were being harassed allegedly by Vadivelu and his family. The family alleged that the issue began after Vadivelu’s dogs entered the premises of their home and attacked their poultry, despite requests to contain the animals. On September 30, Vadivelu’s 12-year-old son allegedly poured urine from a bottle on Illango and Rasathi’s son, the report said. On October 4, Rasathi was allegedly beaten up and had to be admitted to the local government hospital. She was discharged a few days later. Despite this, police did not record a statement or file an FIR despite a formal complaint made at Manapparai police station, the family alleged.
Manaparai Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) N Ramanathan, who spoke to TNM, said an FIR has now been filed, but that he was unaware of the content. He said Vadivelu and family belong to the Urali Gounder caste. Urali Gounders are categorised as Other Backward Class (OBC) in most parts of Tamil Nadu and as a Denotified Community in Trichy and several other districts.
In a letter to the SP Varun Kumar dated October 11, Illango had detailed the horrific urine throwing incident on his child and the attack on Rasathi. He alleges in this letter that on September 30, Vadivelu’s son verbally abused Rasathi and threatened to kill her while arguing about the dogs. He also adds that Vadivelu who was watching this incident said that there would be no one to question them if they killed Rasathi. On the same day, Vadivelu’s minor son poured urine from a bottle on Illango’s 7-year-old son while he was returning home from school, the letter alleged.
Illango’s letter said that on October 4, when Rasathi questioned Vadivelu about the urine attack on her son, he allegedly beat her with a stick. Further, Vadivelu’s wife Azhagumani pushed Rasathi on the ground and Vadivelu allegedly stepped on her chest. Illango adds that Vadivelu hurled verbal abuses at her and threatened to kill her.
The letter also alleged that after Rasathi was admitted in hospital, a police constable failed to take her statement despite the complaint. According to Illango, the constable said that as Rasathi had sustained an injury on her thigh, a woman constable would have to take her statement, but no such woman constable was sent to do so. He also says that even after he submitted a formal complaint at the Manapparai police station, no action was taken and that even an FIR wasn’t registered.
The DSP who spoke to TNM said Illango and his family had not come to the police station when summoned and cited it as a reason for not filing the FIR.
“Vadivelu is very frail. He can barely stand, but they are saying that he was violent. There is a lot of hearsay in the village, but we are investigating now,” he said.
TNM made several attempts to reach the Trichy Superintendent of Police (SP) Varun Kumar and the Manaparai station inspector Gopi, but there have been no responses so far. This article will be updated if concerned police personnel respond to TNM’s queries.
Commenting on the incident, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi’s (VCK) district secretary told Velicham Tv that, “Only governments change, the authorities remain the same. If anything happens to lowered caste people, they [the police] are only focused on conducting katta panchayats [kangaroo court]. The police have taken an apathetic view of urine being thrown at a child. The perpetrators must be arrested under the Atrocities Act.”