People's Democracy

TAMILNADU

Dharmapuri Attacks:

CPI(M), TNUEF Demand CBI Enquiry

Ganesh

THE unprecedented violence on dalits in the three villages of Dharmapuri district should be probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) demanded CPI(M) and Tamilnadu Untouchability Eradication Front(TNUEF).

G Ramakrishnan, CPI(M) state secretary, had visited Natham Colony, Anna Nagar and Kondampatti villages that were subjected to massive violence unleashed by the casteist forces on November 7.  The people of those villages came up with startling revelations post violence. They narrated how the milk vendors are refusing to take milk from dalits. Some dalit people were supplying milk to the vendors regularly before the violence. The day, G Ramakrishnan visited the villages, there was a protest demonstration organised by the CPI(M) and TNUEF.  When the villagers had approached for vans and some vehicles to attend the demonstration, the owners of those vehicles have refused to rent them out.

While addressing the press at Dharmapuri, G Ramakrishnan charged that these attacks were not emotional. They were pre-planned ones. The casteist forces have targeted those who had inter-caste marriages, those who prospered in the recent period etc. The reason for the anger of casteist forces is that the dalits are no more dependent on them, he said.  Except few women, nobody else is going as a labourer to the nearby areas. Most of the men are working in Bangalore, Coimbatore, Tiruppur etc.

For the protest demonstration, people started pouring in since morning. When it started, more than 3,000 people were sitting and raising slogans demanding CBI enquiry. The meeting was addressed by G Ramakrishnan, G Anandan, CPI(M) state committee member, K Samuel Raj, TNUEF general secretary, P Dilli Babu, CPI(M) MLA, M Marimuthu, CPI(M) district secretary, CPI(M) senior leaders Deva, Perinban and Ilamparithi, Raman, district president, Kuppusamy, district secretary of TNUEF.

While addressing the demonstration, G Ramakrishnan charged the Pattalli Makkal Katchi for not condemning the violence. He also described the situation in the state as bad as far as the untouchability is concerned. Still dalits are not able to enter many temples. They can’t wear chappals. Two tumbler system still exists. Despite this situation, Ramadoss, leader of Pattali Makkal Katchi, keeps telling that the untouchability practice is abolished in the state, he charged. He assured the people that the CPI(M) will not rest till justice is delivered to Natham Colony, Anna Nagar and Kondampatti people.

The speech by the affected woman, Thaiyal Nayaki, brought tears and many people had started crying while listening to the speech. She explained, how her family had spent that “worst night in their life”.  When she asked the crowd, “What did I do…?? Is it a sin that I was born as a dalit..??” , many people broke down. After two days of the violence, her son asked his father to touch one finger by showing two fingers. When he touched one, her son said, “That means today also they will come… they will beat us… they will burn everything…”

K Samuel Raj, had quoted her in his speech. He appealed to Ramadoss to learn lessons from Thaiyal Nayaki’s speech, which never talked about revenge. G Anandan in his speech had demolished many arguments put forth by the casteist forces.

Prior to the demonstration, CPI(M) and TNUEF cadres had conducted many village level meetings across the district. It evoked good response from not only dalits but also from other caste people also. Till date, the mass organisations and middle class organisations have given relief materials to the tune of around Rs Ten lakhs. More relief is on the anvil. A case has been filed by the TNUEF in the Chennai High Court for ordering CBI enquiry into the violence.

TNUEF had planned to conduct “Support inter-caste marriages” conventions at various places. The first one is being organised in Chennai on December 26. Also, the Front had conducted state level protest demonstrations to demand justice for the affected people. The struggle continues.