In southern Tamil Nadu, caste pride is turning children into aggressors

TNM travelled to Tirunelveli and its neighbouring districts to understand why the southern part of Tamil Nadu is a simmering hotspot for caste violence and why minors and young adults are getting caught up in the vicious identitarian politics of caste pride which goes against the egalitarian ethos of Dravidian anti-caste politics. This is the first story in a two-part series.

On November 1, the Dalit siblings of Nanguneri in Tirunelveli who survived a brutal assault at the hands of their juvenile classmates would return to classrooms after nearly three months. The brother-sister duo and their mother Ambikapathy will have to rebuild their lives in a place far away from their village, which is no longer considered safe for them.

The murderous attack had shocked and shamed a state ruled successively by Dravidian governments that firmly emphasise governance based on social justice.

The attack was shocking but not surprising considering the resurgence of caste pride in the districts of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, and Ramanathapuram where use of colour-coded bands as caste markers among school students is rampant. But this isn’t just the story of Ambikapathy or her children.