HVK Archives: TN Dalit fora threaten to disrupt ID festivities
TN Dalit fora threaten to disrupt ID festivities - The Pioneer
Pioneer News Service
()
7 July 1997
Title: TN Dalit fora threaten to disrupt I-Day festivities
Author: Pioneer News Service
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: July 7, 1997
A Section of Dalit organisations in Tamil Nadu has decided to disrupt the
golden jubilee celebrations of the nation's Independence Day.
This decision was taken after a Statewide bandh, which was called by
various Dalit organisations, flopped on Friday. The bandh was called to
protest against the brutal killing of six Dalits, including a panchayat
president in Melavalavu village, Madurai, last week.
The Dalits of the village have fled it in panic and are yet to return. The
southern region of the State is still tense and the police are keeping
their lingers crossed as they apprehend a backlash of the violence anytime
now.
Dr Sudhaman, coordinator of the organisations in support of boycotting the
Independence Day celebrations, said: "What has Independence done for us?
Our lot has not improved a bit, in fact it is degenerating by the day. The
upper castes are not even able to put up with a panchayat president from
our community (in obvious reference to slain Melavalavu panchayat president)."
Dr Sudhaman added that Dalit women, armed with broomsticks and cattle dung,
would assemble at the respective district headquarters in various areas to
disrupt the Independence Day celebrations.
They were being mobilised in a big way for the "Black Day", which these
organisations plan to "celebrate" with -broom-sticks and cattle dung.
On Friday, sporadic cases of violence, including some cases of State
Transport Corporation buses being torched, were reported. State Chief
Secretary K A Nambiar said that except for cases of arson, the situation
remained under control.
Mr Nambiar added that train services, though, had suffered some delay as
the Dalit protesters squatted on the rail tracks.
Mr T Manivannan, an observer of the Dalit scene in the State, said that the
bandh flopped essentially because the Dalit organisations were locked more
in game of one-upmanship.
"They never bothered to take support of the mainstream parties which were
sympathetic to their cause," he claimed.
The call for boycotting the Independence Day celebrations, given by these
Dalit organizations in the northern part of the State portrayed them in bad
light, he added.
In the aftermath of the Melavalavu incident, there has been recurrence of
violence in the northern part of the State since the victims were from the
Pariah sect, the dominant sect in the region.
Supporters of Mr Ilayaperumal, a veteran Dalit leader or Kaattumannaarkoil,
went on a rampage after word spread that he had been arrested. The
administration had to take the Dalit leader around the hamlet to bring the
place back to normal.
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