Two minors who were previously involved in the Nanguneri caste crime have been arrested again by the Moolakaraipatti police in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli on August 11, after they allegedly chased and harassed a couple who were on a two-wheeler. Just a year ago, in August 2023, these same individuals (who belong to the Thevar community, which is a dominant caste group in the state that falls under the OBC category), along with four others, were arrested by the Nanguneri police for assaulting two Dalit teenagers – a 17-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl. They assaulted the boy because he excelled in his studies.
Despite being out on bail, the two minors, now college students, were involved in this latest incident. According to the Moolakaraipatti police, the two, along with a third accomplice, were intoxicated when they chased down the couple and sexually harassed the woman.
While the two minors are currently in police custody, the third individual remains at large. The minors have been produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and sent back to the government observation home. They have been booked under 296(b) (obscene acts and songs), 74 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Retired Justice K Chandru, who led two one-man committees to look into caste issues in educational institutions and the functioning of juvenile homes in the state, expressed concern over the incident. He said, "The most disturbing fact is that their previous detention in the observation home has not led to any change in their behavior. Instead, they seem to have become more like hooligans."
In his report on caste in educational institutions, Justice Chandru mentions his meeting with the accused in the Nanguneri crime and stated that they showed “no remorse or guilt” over their actions and were not aware that a trial is pending in the case.
