CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on September 29 said that the widening economic divide was deepening caste oppression and caste-based attacks against dalits and other backward classes. Addressing a special conference against honour killings in Tamil Nadu at Cuddalore, organised by the district committee of the CPI(M), Yechury said the situation was becoming worse for socially oppressed sections like dalits and OBCs with caste atrocities and murders in the name of honour, on the rise. Even after 60 years, the country had been seeing an increase in atrocities perpetuated in the name of caste. “These are dishonourable killings and murders based on caste prejudices,” Yechury said. He said that nearly 90 percent of families lived on income of less than Rs 10, 000 per month. On the other hand, India had over 100 billionaires whose total assets were nearly one third of the country’s gross domestic product. He said that ruling parties, particularly the BJP, utilised caste as an important element for its political mobilisation. Economic empowerment of dalits and OBCs, particularly radical land reforms, were necessary for stopping such atrocities against them, he added. Earlier in the day, Sitaram Yechury visited the parents of Vishnupriya who was the deputy superintendent of police, who died recently in mysterious circumstances, and said that the CPI(M) would urge the centre to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into her ‘suicide’. Speaking to reporters after meeting the family members of the police officer at her residence in Cuddalore, Yechury described Vishnupriya as a very bold and honest officer. He said: “She was investigating the involvement of very powerful people in the region in criminal activities and also the prime accused of the cruel murder of a dalit youth Gopal Raj, who had married an upper caste girl in Namakkal district. Vishnupriya was under pressure to either do something (out of line) or something was done to take away her life. This needs to be thoroughly probed if the morale of not only the police force but the administration has to be maintained.” Yechury said the CPI(M) was in the forefront of conducting a campaign against honour killings and was mobilising the support of all parties. The honour killings had to be condemned and they did not have place in a modern Indian republic. The constitution guaranteed equality of all citizens before law irrespective of caste, creed and gender and that was being violated by these honour killings. A political will was needed to curb the practice and the Party would take up the issue in the parliament as well, he said. Asked about the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, Yechury said India should demand a credible enquiry with international acceptance and sanctions into the war crimes committed by both sides in the island nation. The new government in Sri Lanka should implement its parliament’s decisions and amendments to the constitution of granting full autonomy to the Tamil regions in Sri Lanka for a solution to the problem, he added. CPI(M) state secretary and Polit Bureau member, G Ramakrishnan, Central Committee members U Vasuki and K Balakrishnan, MLA, also spoke. Cuddalore district secretary T Arumugam, state committee member Moosa and others attended.