Kumar, resident of Adukku paarai MGR Nagar, Periyasemur, Erode District, belongs to Dalit Arunthathiyar community. He is working as a Scavenger in the Periyasemur Panchayat Office. His wife Ms. Revathy is the Councilor for 16^th ward of Periyasemur Panchayat. Executive Officer of the Panchayat office Mr. Thannasi, asked Kumar to watchover the office considering frequent thefts in the recent past. Hence on 16/03/2010, while Kumar was looking after the panchayat office, one boy came inside the building climbing over the compound wall. Noticing the boy, Kumar questioned him asking why he came inside the building? The boy told that they were playing cricket and the ball fell inside. Kumar asked how can you get inside the building without getting permission and that too climbing over the compound wall. On hearing this conversation, Murugasen, belongs to dominant caste hindu Kounder community, intervened and asked Kumar, “how dare you a sakkili mother fucker mistake our community boy for a thief. Then he verbally abused him and slapped him. Fearing further onslaught by Murugasen, Ravi and Devarajan, Kumar shouted for help. Hence all the three perpetrators ran away from the scene.

Kumar reported about this assault to his collegues, and gave a complaint to his EO. But Thannasi told that the problem can be solved amicably. Kumar and his collegues around 30 Scavengers filed a complaint with the Veerapan Chatiram Police Station. During the evening, Periyasemur Influential caste hindu people, Panchayat president Subbramani, House keepers Association Secretary Shanmugam and others persuaded Kumar to withdraw the complaint. Kumar considering the dependency of their community people over the dominant caste Hindus in their area and fearing the negative effect on his career, withdrew the complaint.

Brief details of the Incident:

In Valasabakala (P Agraharam) there are 100 houses of dalits and 300 houses of BC community and in terms of population there are 500 dalits and 1000 BCs.  Government has sanctioned 410 acres of land to BC community and only 6 acres to dalits. The BCs community dominates and discriminates to Dalits as they have to depend for everything on them. They give loans and collect huge interests from dalits. In the elections SC Malas voted for Congress and Madiga’s voted to Telugu Dasam, Hence the BCs assaulted SC Madiga’s. It has gone to a stage that the dalits should oblige to what all the BCs say or else be prepared for dire consequences. In case of the burial ground of dalits, it has been encroached by the BCs. Since there is no space, the dalits are being forced to bury on the road side and it has gone to an extent of burying on the same bodies. After continuous protest by Dalits, the M.R.O got the burial ground measured, fixed the boundaries and handed it over to dalits. This irritated the BCs and on the very next day they removed the boundaries. On 11.03.2010 MRO, Thondangi, MPP, Tuni, MLA Raju and Ashok Babu asked the BCs not to dig the assigned lands of dalits, but was even ignored by the Sarpanch.  NREGA works were taken up in the burial ground by the BCs. The 6 acres were distributed among 6 families.  Finally mustering courage the dalits approached MDO and in turn the M.D.O ordered to stop the work, even MPP and MLA have also asked to stop the work, but in vain. Once again the dalits approached the Panchyat President to stop the work, but he abused them in the name of caste and said “Mala Lanja Kodukuluki, thakuva jathi valaki bhume endukura” and his henchman assaulted a dalit lady Nakka Simhachalam, tore her blouse and hit Bobarada Naga mani with the rod, and abused them saying “this land belongs to us not for you dalit bitches. 

Maheshram is resident of Girwar Bighwa village under Kaller police station in Alwar Dist., belongs to Rajwar (SC) caste. The victim is daily wage labourer.

On 10/03/2010, at about 9.00 a.m, Naresh Singh, Gautam Kumar, Randhir Yadav, Suma Yadav, Sudhir Kumar, belonging to dominant caste group of Durgapur village beat Maheshram mercilessly and left him with multiple injuries on his body following previous enmity.

After a long struggle for registration of FIR, case was registered in Kaller police station against the accused persons on 22/0939/2010 as No. 13/10, u/s 323, 341, 504, 34 IPC & 3(1)(x) SC/ST (PoA) Act. The perpetrator persons were arrested but bailed out. Charge sheet is filed. Case is under trial now. The victim has not received any compensation from the administration. 

K. Ramasamy (55), is a resident of Gandhi Nagar, Harijan colony, Karukkampalayam, Erode District. His wife name is Rukumani (40) and have two children. He is working as an agricultural labourer in the Ramalingam Kounder farm for Rs. 9000/year. Muthusamy Kounder, belongs to Kounder community, resident of Karukkanpalayam, leased the near by farmland located next to Ramalingam’s farm land. Last month, while Ramasamy is working in the agricultural field, M. Jeya s/o Muthusamy kounder, stopped the motor, disturbing the work of Ramasamy. Hence Ramasamy reported this to Ramalingam. Muthusamy got infuriated over Ramasamy for disclosing the matter to Ramalingam and verbally abused him regarding this.

On 08/03/2010 around 7pm, while Ramasamy was returning home via the street where the Muthusamy house is located. Muthusamy called Ramasamy, saying, “sakili son of prostitute, who dare you report my son’s deed to Ramalingam causing humiliation? Then Muthusamy slapped him repeatedly. He was joined by his sons and all the three brutally assaulted Ramasamy with the lathis. Ramasamy fell unconscious and then he was helped by others to reach home. On 09/03/2010, he was admitted in the Kodumudi Hospital and he was transferred to the Erode Government Hospital and was provided medical assistance for a week. While he was in the hospital, 5 people from the kounder community visited him and try to convince and compelled him to withdraw the complaint and to compromise with perpetrators. Ramasamy refused their compulsion and choose to file a case against the accused. One police from Kodumudi Police station, visited him and received the complaint. Then a case was filed and FIR was registered against the perpetrators. But the police department has not any action against the perpetrators.

Malarchi Trust is in Pattathurai, Sankarankovil Taluk, Trinelveli District. With Dalits economic empowerment as an objective, Malarchi Trust, under  Joint Farming Scheme, acquired land in Kuruvikulam area and distributed the lands to 52 Dalit families of Kuruvikulam. Hence each family received 15 to 20 cents of land for the cultivation purpose. After initial success for the first four years, later due to poor monsoon condition, the project failed. Using the situation, Narayansamy, belongs to caste hindu Nayakkar community, whose land is adjacent to the dalits farm field, trying to acquire the dalits land by illegal means. He forcefully occupied Dalits lands and started cultivating on it. He verbally abuses the Dalits who dare to question him. Many complaints have been filed with the Kuruvikulam Police station. But the police department is negligent to take action the culprit with caste consideration.