Dalit activists demand Tamil Nadu government to declare Vengaivayal as ‘untouchability-prone’ hamlet

Many of the notable Dalit writers and activists have taken to social media to criticise the ‘nonchalant’ attitude of the district administration, the government and the police machinery in Pudukottai district.

The Dalit activists from Madurai and southern districts have demanded the Tamil Nadu government to declare Vengaivayal in Pudukottai district as untouchability-prone hamlet.

Many of the notable Dalit writers and activists have taken to social media to criticise the ‘nonchalant’ attitude of the district administration, the government and the police machinery in Pudukottai district.

On the night of December 24, a 6-year-old girl child, daughter of Kanagaraj, an artist, who plays in a local drama troupe, complained of vomiting and uneasiness. Immediately, the family members rushed to a PHC in Cauvery Nagar, but the staff recommended admission in the Pudukottai Government Medical College and Hospital.

After carrying out a series of tests, the doctors declared that the child had taken “contaminated” water. The following day, three more children from the Dalit colony suffered similar trauma after which the villagers woke up and checked the overhead tank. To their shock, they found faecal matter floating inside the water tank.

A fact-finding team comprising lawyers and activists led by Madurai based NGO, Evidence, visited the village and interacted with the residents on December 30.

Speaking to The Hindu, Evidence executive director Mr. Kathir said, “Many people were yet to come out of the shock. The elders in the community felt ashamed about the whole incident. Some of the women were fuming,” he said.

“The whole incident, no doubt, gave us an impression that it was a pre-planned crime. It was a conspiracy to humiliate the downtrodden people,” he charged.