Protest by Vengaivayal residents enters third day

Residents of Vengaivayal village protest CB-CID report accusing three persons of dumping human faeces in water tank.

Residents of Vengaivayal village in Pudukkottai district continued their protest for the third consecutive day on Monday, opposing the final report of the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) in the incident where human faeces was dumped into the overhead tank in the village in December 2022. The report accused three persons from the village of the act.

Alleging that the report unfairly targeted the affected persons, Vengaivayal villagers protested by tying black cloths around their mouths and waving black flags. Meanwhile, the three accused— J. Muraliraja, B. Sudharsan, and K. Muthukrishnan — have filed a petition before the Special Court for SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act Cases in Pudukkottai, seeking a copy of the CB-CID’s final investigation report. The report, submitted on January 20, alleged that the accused had acted to settle a personal score with the husband of the Muttukadu panchayat president.

Hearing the petition, G.N. Vasanthi, Judge (in-charge), Special Court for SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act Cases in Pudukkottai, directed the CB-CID to respond by January 29. The CB-CID had filed a plea to transfer the trial to a Judicial Magistrate court, arguing that the case does not fall under the provisions of the Act. This plea was adjourned to January 29 as well.

Meanwhile at the Tiruchi airport, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan told journalists that only an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) could deliver justice in the case. “The DMK government has failed to handle the case effectively and injustice has been done to the Dalit community,” he alleged.

“The BJP has been continuously fighting for justice for the affected people,” Mr. Murugan added.