A 29-year-old Dalit youth was brutally assaulted by a group of caste Hindu men in Tiruppur district of Tamil Nadu, allegedly, for his failure to show respect to a man from the Gounder community by standing up while he was at a bus stop. The police have arrested eight of the 15 persons accused of assaulting the youth, Pratap, in a coconut farm on November 8 after abducting him .
Pratap, an employee with a private finance firm, hailing from Arunthathiyar (SC) community was waiting at a bus stop on November 7, along with his friend Rajesh, to pick up his mother when the incident which led to the assault happened.
According to the police complaint, while they were at the bus stop, Naveen Kumar, a caste Hindu man, approached the duo and urged Rajesh to buy him a packet of cigarettes and liquor. Naveen belongs to Kongu Vellala Gounder categorised as Backward Class (BC). While Rajesh went to get the cigarettes and liquor for Naveen, Pratap was playing a video game on his phone. Irked by the Dalit man sitting comfortably without showing respect to him, Naveen asked Rajesh why his friend could not stand up and pay respect to Naveen due to his caste hierarchy, the complaint said
When Pratap refused to do so and questioned him, Naveen snatched his bike key, verbally abused him using casteist slurs, and called his associates to the spot. A few minutes later, Arun, another Gounder man, reached the spot and said “Why can't you people follow what was being followed for generations,” and used casteist slurs while returning the bike key to Pratap, the complaint said.
On November 8, Pratap and his friends tried to solve the issue and met Naveen at his factory on Koduvai-Pollachi road. However, the meeting did not go well and Pratap lodged a complaint against Naveen at Avinashipalayam police station. When Naveen came to know about the complaint against him, he allegedly sought help of Vivekanandan, son of Sivaselvi, panchayat president of Kurukkupalaiyam, and a local BJP leader. On November 16, Pratap in a complaint to the district SP alleged that Vivekanandan threatened him over phone. Sivaselvi, while speaking to TNM has denied these allegations.
While returning from the police station after filing the complaint, Pratap alleges that his bike was deliberately hit by a car driven by Arun near AMC Hospital in Koduvai. A group of Gounder men in three cars also chased away Pratap’s cousin who was with him.
He was then forcibly taken to a coconut grove in Olapalaiyam where he was brutally assaulted, the complaint said. They also abused him with casteist slurs and threatened that they would kill his family members including his 8-month-old daughter if he revealed to anyone that he was assaulted. Pratap was then shifted to a poultry farm in Vanangadu Thottam allegedly owned by Vivekanandan, who also threatened him.
After being alerted by Pratap’s cousin who was a witness to the abduction, his family members sought the help of Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF) leaders who alerted Avinashipalaiyam and Oothiyur police who rescued him. Pratap had to be admitted to Tiruppur Government Medical College Hospital where he underwent treatment for 6 days. He was discharged on November 14.
The police have identified eight persons - Naveen Kumar, Nandhakumar, Arun, Mani, Senathipathy, Kathiresan, Ramesh, and Sekhar - who assaulted Pratap. But they are yet to arrest remaining persons involved in the attack and are yet to book Vivekanandan, named in the complaint by Pratap.
Speaking to TNM, Pratap said that he has been receiving threatening calls from the relatives of those who were arrested in the case. “Since the attack happened I receive six to eight calls every day from new numbers. I have a feeling that people from the Gounder community are following me,” he said. Pratap has sought protection from the police but he has not received any help so far. He also alleged that police personnel in Avinashipalayam had asked him to enter into compromise talk rather than give a police complaint against Gounders.
Kanagaraj, state secretary, TNEUF, said the police are yet to arrest all the accused in the case. "They kidnapped him in a car. But the cars that used to kidnap him are yet to be seized. Police have also failed to take measures to ensure the safety of Pratap and his family,” he said. Kanagaraj said the FIR should be revised to include the name of Vivekanandan and departmental action should be initiated against police personnel who acted in the favour of Gounder men. “Caste atrocities in Gundadam, Avinashipalayam, and Kamanaickanpalayam of Tiruppur district are relatively high. The Social Justice and Human Rights police wing should conduct sensitisation programs to ensure such offences are not repeated,” he said.
According to a police officer attached to the Avinashipalayam station, the case has been transferred to the Palladam DSP office.