V. Sathyamoorthy (17), resident of Selakarasal village, Suloor Taluk, Coimbatore district, belongs to Dalit Arunthathiyar community. On 11/09/09, on his way back to home, on the roadside he found a big iron near the powerloom of one Rasu and Ramesh. Since it is found on the road, he brought that to the home. On seeing the iron, his parents asked them to give it to the nearby powerloom owned by Rasu and Ramesh, since that iron is one of the machine parts of powerloom. As advised by his parents, Sathyamoorthy went to the powerloom and gave that to the owners. Instead of appreciating him for this action, Rasu and Ramesh started interrogating him and assaulted him. Swaminathan who works in the powerloom in the night shift, raised objection to this. Infuriated Rasu and Ramesh assaulted Swaminathan. They detained Sathyamoorthy all through the night and tortured him. Then they threatened to kill him if he tries to reveal this to any one. They asked to sign a blank paper and released him in the morning.

On reaching home, Sathyamoorthy reported this atrocity to his parents. Hence his father Veeran and his brother Thangavel who went to enquire about this were also brutally assaulted by the two perpetrators. Sathyamoorthy and Swaminathan were admitted in the Palladam Government Hospital and Thangavel is admitted in the Coimbatore Government Hospital. Victims filed a complaint with the Naamanayakkan Palayam Police station. But the police is negligent to take action against the perpetrators. The perpetrators filed a counter complaint with the police station as if the victims were came to their to attack them. Later this case was withdrawn as both the parties choose to compromise.

Guruvaal (80), is a widow, resident of Ayyanthottam, Kallampaarai, Bhramadesam, Bhavani Taluk, Erode District, belongs to Dalit Arunthathiyar community. She got 1.5 acres of land from one Sri Rangan Kounder. Palanisamy received another 1.5 acres of remaining land from Sri Rangan Kounder. Both have equal rights over a well, which is common to four farm owners including Palanisamy and Guruvaal. As per the agreement, Guruvaal has 25% ownership over the well and she can draw water from the well by a mini motor once in a week to water her land. Since the very beginning Palanisamy, Mariappan, Kaliammal, Palaniammal and Kannaiyaan denied water to Guruvaal from the well. They used to verbally abused them saying, “you Sakkili prostitute, you are an untouchable, hence we can’t share water with you. They used to threaten her to kill and intimidates her not to use the well. With the help of the Surveyor Kittusamy, Gurvaal surveyed the land and laid stones demarking her land. But the perpetrators pulled those stones and denied her to access water again.

On 09/09/09, evening above mentioned perpetrators again verbally abused her referring derogatory regarding caste. Palanisamy pushed her down, all the perpetrators slapped her with the slippers. They scolded her saying, as you untouchable accessed the well, the water level has gone down and threatened her saying, ‘if you don’t leave the premises, we will burn the farm land and threw you inside the well.  Guruvaal along with her daughter Lakshmi, filed a complaint with the Andhiyur Police Station. But the Police department failed to take action against the perpetrators. Even after repeated complaint with the higher authorities, Kuruvaal was denied justice in this regard. Due to this atrocity and intimidation, Kuruvaal was unable to cultivate in her own land and now it is being dry and became uncultivable.

Later this was CLOSED AS MISTAKE OF FACTS BY THE DISTRICT VIGILANCE AND MONITORING COMMITTEE.

Dr. Ambedkar Government College Hostel is in Ranagapalayam, Erode District. Nearly 180 college students from various districts namely Karur, Namakkal, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Salem, Tiruppur, and Erode are inmates of  this hostel. In 2003 Rangapalayam caste hindus trespassed the college premises and assaulted the Dalit students. Food served in the hostel is seems to be very poor in quality and lacks taste. There are no proper toilet facilities for the students of this hostel. Due to lack of water facility to the hostel toilets, students have to walk nearly 1 kilometer for defecation in the nearby railway track. There is no provision of fan and switch boards are there but no tube lights. This hostel lack library facilities, water tank was in unhygienic condition. Hostel Warden Shankar and Students Selection committee member Marimuthu used to receive bribe and accommodate students with low marks. Merit Students and students who scores more than 1000 were also denied accommodation in the hostel. But they have fabricated the records as if all the facilities have been provided with the expenditure to the tune of Rs. 9lakhs. Even after repeated complaints to the BDO, RDO, Tahsildar and other concerned government officials, these students request were systematically denied by the concerned authorities.

On 09/09/09, Dalit Students of this hostel staged a protest demonstration seeking provision of basic facilities to the hostel. Government officials who arrived to the place of protest, started threatening the students they will dismiss all the students from their respective colleges jeopardizing their career. Students were verbally abused by the Mani, Jeeva, and Marimuthu (he is the students selection committee member). As the students stood firm seeking the provision of facilities and want to be heard by the District Magistrate, Erode Town Police Inspector Sekar threatened that he will order lathi charge. Due to the threat by the government officials, the students gave up their protest demonstration. In the evening students were provided with Detergents, Mosquito coils, and Mats. On 10/09/09, when the students went to the railway track for defecation as ususal, Rangapalayam caste hindus threatened to kill them if the students come there for defecation. The caste hindus told that the hostel warden Shankar gave a written order to attack students whom so ever goes to the railway track for defecation. When the students enquired about this with the warden, he blamed the students for staging the protest and told that the Rangapalayam caste hindu villagers will kill them, until unless the dalit students apologize for staging such protest.

Hence the students file a complaint with the Superintendent of Police regarding this intimidation and threat. Later the students were provided with all the basic facilities by the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department.

South Gowthamapuri Village is home to nearly 350 Dalit Paraiyar families. Nearby Brahmadesam is home to dominant caste hindus devar community. They have instituted a statue of Dr. Ambedkar on the road side. On 07/09/09, the Statue’s head was demolished by the dominant caste hindus Devar community people namely Kannan, M. Murugesh, and V. Muthu and others. Prior to this defamation, on 22/04/09, when the Dalits were celebrating the Amman Temple festival at the Karunanidhi river, caste hindu Kannan harassed dalit girls by dashing them with his bi-cycle. When Dalit youths objected to this, Kannan hit the dalits with the bi-cycle. Soon Kannan was joined by Murugesh and Muthu, who came with sickles. All the three assaulted the Dalits and chased them out. Hence the aggrieved Dalits filed a complaint with the Ambai Police station and FIR was registered under PoA Act against the three perpetrators. As the case was pending trial at the Trinelveli Special court, court has sent a summon to the Dalits for a hearing scheduled on 08/09/09. Hence the above mentioned caste hindu perpetrators who were implicated under the PoA Act, inorder to distract the people from the case and to threaten the dalits, have orchestrated this Ambedkar statue defamation.

On 08/09/09, Dalits of the South Gowthamapuri village staged a protest demonstration and also a fast unto death protest, seeking the arrest of the perpetrators who defamed the statue and also demanded a constitution of new statue replacing the damaged statue. As the District Administration agreed to provided a new statue, the dalits gave up their hunger strike and protest demonstration. 

Vahaikulam Village, Nanguneri Taluk, Trinelveli district, is home to nearly 200 dalit Pallan community families. Pulaan village is home to dominant caste hindu Devar community. On 01/09/09, Vahaikulam villagers invited their community leader Mr. Pasupathi pandiyan for the Muppidathi Amman Temple Festival. During the occasion, he hoisted the community flag and spoke about the necessity of being united for the cause of their community. On 06/09/09, 9.30 pm E. Paramasivan, U. Mariappan and A. Manikandan belongs to devar community people who could not tolerate the invitation of Pasupathi Pandiyan towards the festivity, who came along the way in their bikes, on seeing the Photos of Dr. Ambedkar, Veeran Sundaralingam and Immanuel Sekaran, on the name board kept in the Vahaikulam, damaged the photos. They rub the photos with a stone and were defaming the photos. On noticing this, Indra w/o Aaroham, objected to this and questioned them for damaging the photos. Immediately the three perpetrators, started abusing Indra, saying, “Palla prostitute, how dare you pallas invite Pasupathi for your festival? They boastfully told that now we have destroyed only the photos, tomorrow we will kill all the pallans in the village. Indra came back to her house and shouted for help. On seeing the arrival of dailts to the place of incident, all the three perpetrators escaped from the spot.

Around 10pm Dalits of the village filed a complaint with the Mundradaippu Police Station regarding this defamation. As the police refused to register the complaint, around 100 dalits camped before the police station and protested against the negligence. Hence around 11pm police registered the case and arrested the three perpetrators and remanded them in the police custody for 15 days at the Palayangkottai Central Jail.