THE COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown virtually brought life to a standstill but, sadly, there has been no halt in caste-based discrimination and atrocities in Tamil Nadu. Attacks against members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) and the Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities are, in fact, increasing day by day. The state has witnessed numerous cases of killing, ‘honour’ killing, rape, extortion and assault, even during the lockdown period.

CPI(M) Tamil Nadu state secretary K Balakrishnan has written a letter to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, urging him to take firm action on the atrocities against the SC and ST communities.

Attacks against the SC-ST people are rampant and increasing, despite there being various legislative and legal frameworks for their protection such as the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Supreme Court judgements, state and district level committees for untouchability eradication and special courts.

The CPI(M), in the letter to the chief minister, compiled instances of around 10 murders, three ‘honour’ killings, numerous sexual assaults, more than 60 physical attacks, extortion of properties, use of abusive language and ill-treatment against SC-ST people in the state since March.

“These are just a part of the whole picture. We have listed the incidents in which the CPI(M) and the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front intervened and raised voice against the atrocities,” Balakrishnan wrote. In a few incidents, police took swift action – cases were registered and the accused arrested. But in most of the cases, there was a delay on the part of the police in taking necessary actions.

During the coronavirus-induced lockdown, cases of killings of SC-ST people were reported from Tuticorin, Cuddalore, Kanyakumari, Salem, Namakkal, Tiruppur, Villupuram and Thanjavur districts. On May 7, Balavesam (SC) and his son-in-law were brutally killed when they asked for return of mortgage security deed after the repayment of Rs 40,000 loan taken from a relatively upper caste person in Tuticorin district. A day later, Vishnupriyan, another SC member, was killed using knives by an upper-caste mob in Salem district. Many others were injured in the mob attack. There have been many such instances of fatal attacks on the SC-ST communities.

There have been at least three cases of ‘honour’ killings during the period in Tamil Nadu. These cases were reported from Tiruvannamalai, Pudukkottai and Dindigul districts. There have also been physical attacks on inter-caste couples in some other places. The state also witnessed sexual assault on at least four women belonging to SC communities. A woman was gang-raped in Krishnagiri district and a mentally unstable woman was raped in Madurai district.

There were also instances of insult to SC-ST panchayat presidents in the state. In Tiruvannamalai district, Ariyakunjur Panchayat (reserved) president Murugesan, an ST, was forced to dig a pit to bury a dead person of the same village. In Salem district, a woman panchayat president, belonging to the SC community, was insulted and hurled derogatory and casteist abuses.

In a school in Tuticorin district, SC children were forced to do sanitation work, including cleaning toilets. In Tiruppur and Virudhunagar districts, people belonging to SC communities have also been barred from burying their dead in common burial grounds. There have also been instances of vandalism of statues of B R Ambedkar. In Cuddalore, a statue of Ambedkar was garlanded with slippers. On March 31, police personnel forced Gowthama Priyan, a resident of Thokkavadi in Tiruvannamalai district, to kneel down and tore his T-shirt inscribed with Ambedkar’s image. Priyan’s crime: He was talking with a female acquaintance belonging to a relatively upper caste. Attacks on SC-ST people are manifold and their reasons can be socio-economic or outright suppression. Efforts to free land from unlawful occupation or simply riding a bike can draw attacks from the upper caste.

The CPI(M) has been continuously and vigorously protesting against such atrocities. The Party stood by the victims. “We are also working throughout the state to ensure justice and relief to the victims according to law…. Cases of caste discrimination and atrocities are increasing day by day. The government should intervene effectively to prevent these kinds of atrocities,” Balakrishnan said.

DEMANDS
To put an end to caste-based discrimination and atrocities and to provide justice to the victims, the CPI(M) has made nearly a dozen demands to the government. These are following:

1. A thorough enquiry into the actions taken on each of such instances should be conducted by a team headed by the superintendent of police of the district concerned. Such an enquiry should look into whether cases have been filed under relevant provisions of the law, whether the culprits have been arrested, and whether proper protection and compensation have been provided to the victims. Moreover, the role of police and civil administration should be appropriately reviewed and cases should be filed against errant officers.

2. In his capacity as the chairperson of the vigilance and monitoring committee formed under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the chief minister should immediately convene a review meeting. District-level committees should also convene regular meetings. The decisions taken in these meetings should be released to the press through official communication.

3. Victims of caste-based atrocities should be provided adequate compensation and government job without any delay.

4. Police should take appropriate measures to ensure stringent action against culprits in cases lodged under the Act. Investigation into such cases should be prompt and charge sheets should be filed within the stipulated 60 days. The State should engage special pleaders to represent the victims as specified in the Act.

5. More special courts should be set up to hear cases under the Act. At present, Tamil Nadu has only six such special courts.

6. As required under the Act, the director general of police and district superintendents of police should work together and identify areas where caste-based atrocities are committed in large numbers, and present a report to the state government regarding the actions to be taken to prevent them.

7. As accepted through an affidavit by the state in a contempt of court case filed by the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front, the government should ensure proper functioning of special cells announced for all the districts.

8. The government should include lessons on the eradication of caste-based discrimination in school syllabus right from the primary level. It should release TV advertisements stressing the need to end caste atrocities and conduct awareness campaigns.

9. The government should sponsor dramas, other forms of art and cultural events that emphasize the social justice tradition.

10. It should be made compulsory for all organisations such as political parties and trade unions to undertake a pledge to raise their voice against untouchability and caste-based atrocities.

11. Concrete land reform measures should be taken to make sure that SC and ST people get land rights. Strong actions should be taken to retrieve the illegally occupied ‘panchami’ lands.