2015 Seshasamudram violence

Last updated

The 2015 Seshasamudram violence also known as the Villupuram violence refers to the violence that took place on 15 August 2015 in Seshasmudram, a village in Sankarapuram Taluk, Viluppuram District, Tamil Nadu. A crowd of 500 dominant-caste villagers attacked a Dalit colony over a dispute over a procession of a temple car. 15 houses belonging to the Dalits were burnt down and 40 Dalits were injured during the violence.

Contents

Background

In the village, there were 2000 Vanniyar families and 75 Dalit families. [1] [2]

Festival tensions

The Dalits were denied entry to at least 5 temples controlled by the Vanniyars. [3] The Dalit community constructed a Mariamman temple in the village and for four years, they were refused permission to conduct a procession by the local administration as it was opposed by the Vanniyars and that it could also cause tensions in the village. [4] [2]

The Dalits threatened to accept Buddhism if they were not permitted to take the car out in 2015. Peace committee meetings were held by the Villupuram district administration, attended by a 100 members from Vanniyar community and 5 members from the Dalit colony, and it was agreed that Dalits will be allowed to conduct the procession. [1]

In the year 2015, The Dalit colony's Mariamman temple car festival was planned for August 16. Following 2012, when the temple car was constructed, policemen have been posted regularly in the village. While the whole Dalit colony was involved in the arrangements, the Vanniyars, mainly young people, departed for the neighboring town of Kallakurichi, where Anbumani Ramadoss, one of the leaders of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), was taking part in a demonstration. [1]

Attacks

The attacks began at 8:30 pm on August 15 on Independence day. [5] Police stated that even after the peace negotiations, a group of Vanniyars dug up the route to block the temple car procession. The mob of 100, including women, began hurling stones on the police when they tried to stop the mob and threw petrol bombs at the temple vehicle, burning it. [6] [7] Police claimed that this attack was made by the Vanniyars returning from the demonstration held by the PMK. [5] [8]

A mob of 500 people armed with crow bars, stones, sticks, sickles and petrol filled bottles reached the Dalit colony. [9] They took positions on the rooftops watching over the colony at the same time. By vandalizing the transformer in the area, the mob had turned off power supply. When the lights went out, they hurled petrol bombs and stones from the rooftops into the colony. Another party stormed in the colony and quickly smashed the tube lights and the bulbs. [10] Then they burned huts and properties after discovering nobody there. Then the group attacked the badly outnumbered policemen, who attempted to stop the attackers. The police team had relocated the Dalits to the fields and told them to stay there before backup reached the village. Some of the policemen also suffered injuries. [1] At least 15 houses were burned down and about 40 Dalit people were injured. [5] 8 police officers and 3 village assistants were also injured. [11] Vehicles of Dalit families were also burned by the mob. The police discovered that half a dozen goats were killed. During their attack the mob also shouted "Burn them! No Paraiyars should be let off". [7] Many of the Dalits lost money, jewels and their bona fide records. [12]

The police had to shoot in the air several times to enter, as the Vanniyars blocked the policemen to go through their area to enter the Dalit colony. It eventually took a rain that lasted almost an hour to extinguish the fire. [5]

In September 2015, a house belonging to a Vanniyar were set on fire. [13] A local source said it was an accident, not an act of retribution. [14] Later, 2 Dalit houses were again torched in September with petrol bombs, the victims claimed that their houses were burned when they spoke to the media about the recent violence. [15]

Investigations

A human rights organization based in Madurai named Evidence, claimed a number of Dalit women had been abused in the attack. They had been stripped and told to run away, abandoning their children in the house. The riots which started on 8:30pm was reported to have continued until early in the morning of the next day. [7]

As per police reports and residents, in the countdown of the 2012 panchayat election, a Vanniyar contestant named Subramanian pledged to help the Dalit community to buy a temple car in an effort to attract the Dalit vote. He helped them buy the car after winning by collecting funds and using the money of the Dalits. Vanniyars objected taking the car through the streets where they lived. [16] Local officials refused permission for the procession for the past three years as they were unable to solve the issue. The district magistrate granted permission on 2015 to the Dalits being unable to withhold approval forever. [2]

After the violence, the police arrested and jailed Subramanian for being responsible for the riots and jailed him in Vellore central prison. Local news sources stated that Subramanian of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam disrupted the villagers unity by inciting a caste clash between both the communities. Subramani confessed that other than him, over 100 Vanniyar men were preparing an attack together. [11] [17]

Arrests

85 people, including 18 women and seven minors, all from the Vanniyar caste, were detained by police. [1] Two more people were later arrested. [18]

Reactions

The PMK founder, S. Ramadoss, accused the police for the violence. [1]

The Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front asked the NHRC to start using its legal power to prosecute those responsible for the violence. [19]

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa provided financial aid of ₹ 50,000 each to 8 police officers and 3 village assistants who were injured. [20]

Over 1000 Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) members blocked the Tiruvannamalai Road at Sankarapuram, demanding action against those responsible for the violence. [14]

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) chief Vaiko denounced the burning of the Dalits Temple Car and Houses and pleaded to the members of both groups to live in peace. [14]

The president of Puthiya Tamilagam party, K. Krishnasamy has demanded tough action against those involved in the violence. [21]

The Manithaneya Makkal Katchi appealed to all members of both the communities to aim for harmony. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pattali Makkal Katchi</span> Political party in India

Pattali Makkal Katchi is a political party in Tamil Nadu, India, founded by S. Ramadoss in 1989 for the Vanniyar caste in northern Tamil Nadu. It is a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). It contests the elections with the "Ripe Mango" symbol.

The Pallar, who prefer to be called Mallar, are an agricultural community from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Pallars traditionally inhabited the fertile wetland area referred to as Marutham in the literary devices of the Sangam landscape. Today, they are the dominant Dalit community of southern Tamil Nadu and have developed a reputation for being assertive about their rights. Due to the demand of the pallar community to classify them under a more dignified generic name Devendrakula Velalar, recently they together with six other related castes have been given the name Devendrakula Velalar; however their original caste name remains valid and they are still part of the Scheduled Caste list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi</span> Indian political party

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi formerly known as the Dalit Panthers of India or the Dalit Panthers Iyyakkam is an Indian social movement and political party that seeks to combat caste based discrimination, active in the state of Tamil Nadu. The party also has a strong emphasis on Tamil nationalism. Its chairman is Thol. Thirumavalavan, a lawyer from Chennai and its general secretary is the writer Ravikumar.

The Ramnad riots or the Mudukulathur riots were a series of violent clashes that occurred between July and September 1957 in the Ramnad district and in southern Tamil Nadu, India. The violence was between Thevars supporting the Forward Bloc, and pro-Congress Dalit Pallars, and was triggered by a by-election held in the aftermath of the Madras Legislative Assembly elections of earlier that year. 42 Dalits were killed during the riots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanniyar</span> Hindu agrarian caste in Tamil Nadu, India

The Vanniyar, also spelled Vanniya, formerly known as the Palli, are a Dravidian community or jāti found in the northern part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Caste-related violence in India has occurred and continues to occur in various forms.

S. Ramadoss is an Indian politician. He is the founder of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, an Indian political party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thol. Thirumavalavan</span> Indian politician

Tholkappiyan Thirumavalavan, better known as Thol. Thirumavalavan is a political leader, scholar and activist from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He is a Member of Parliament from Chidambaram. Leader and President of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi. He rose to prominence in the 1990s as a Dalit leader, and formally entered politics in 1999. His political platform centres on ending caste-based discrimination and consequently the caste system. He has also expressed support for Tamil nationalist movements in Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaduvetti Guru</span> Former Politician from Tamil Nadu,India

Kaduvetti Guru, also known as J. Guru, was an Indian politician, who was twice elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Tamil Nadu. He was the president of a caste organisation, the Vanniyar Sangam.

In the 2012 Dharmapuri violence, a Vanniyar caste mob set fire to about 268 Dalit houses in Natham, old and new Kondampatti and Annanagar Dalit colonies in Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu on 8 November 2012. The violence occurred after a Vanniyar girl from Sellankottai village, and a Dalit boy, from the neighbouring Dalit colony of Natham, fled due to parental opposition to get married. A caste panchayat held on the morning of 7 November by leaders from both communities ruled that the girl be returned to her family. Distraught at her decision to stay with her husband, her father allegedly committed suicide. The discovery of his body later that day is said to have provoked a 1,500-strong mob to rampage through Natham and two smaller Dalit settlements, Kondampatti and Anna Nagar, where it set ablaze over 200 houses, damaged at least 50 others, and allegedly looted valuables and cash worth lakhs of rupees. The mob rampaged for four hours and was brought under control after arrest of 90 men and an additional deployment of 1000 policemen.

The 2013 Marakkanam violence was an incident of violence in Tamil Nadu between Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Dalit villagers in Marakkanam. The violence was instigated when drunk PMK cadres attacked Dalit villagers. The Dalit villagers blocked the road demanding their attackers be arrested which stopped the vehicle convoy taking PMK members to a youth festival organized by the Vanniyar Sangam at Mamallapuram. The PMK members attacked the Dalit colony and burned down nine huts of Dalits, they attacked homes of Muslims and offices of AIADMK MPs, they vandalized buses, felled trees among other things. In the ensuing violence, two PMK members were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Kandhamal violence</span> Anti-Christian violence in Orissa

The 2008 Kandhamal violence refers to widespread violence against Christians purportedly incited by Hindutva organisations in the Kandhamal district of Orissa, India, in August 2008 after the murder of the Hindu monk Lakshmanananda Saraswati. According to government reports the violence resulted in at least 39 Christians killed and 3906 Christian houses completely destroyed. Reports state, more than 395 churches were razed or burnt down, over 5,600 – 6,500 houses plundered or burnt down, over 600 villages ransacked and more than 60,000 – 75,000 people left homeless. Other reports put the death toll at nearly 100 and suggested more than 40 women were sexually assaulted. Unofficial reports placed the number of those killed to more than 500. Many Christian families were burnt alive. Thousands of Christians were forced to convert to Hinduism under threat of violence. Many Hindu families were also assaulted in some places because they supported the Indian National Congress (INC) party. This violence was led by the Bajrang Dal, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the VHP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kallakurichi district</span> District of Tamil Nadu in India

Kallakurichi is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The district headquarter is Kallakurichi. Kallakurichi District was announced on 8 January 2019 and it came into existence on 26 November 2019.

The 2004 Kalapatti violence refers to the violence against Dalits by dominant-caste villagers in the village of Kalapatti, Tamil Nadu on 16 May 2004. About 100 Dalit houses have been burned down by a mob of 200 villagers and Dalits who attempted to escape were attacked. The attacks lasted for 2 hours and 14 people were seriously injured in the violence including a man's arm reportedly hacked off.

The 2018 Ambalapattu violence refers to the violence on New Year's Eve of 2018 in a Dalit settlement in the village of Ambalapattu, Tamil Nadu. The settlement was attacked by dominant caste villagers during the New year celebrations by the Dalit community. Around 80 dominant caste villagers damaged Dalit homes, motor-bikes and properties. 8 Dalits were injured and 4 were admitted to the hospital.

The Uthapuram caste wall, called by various names as the wall of shame, the wall of untouchability is a 12 ft high and 600 meter long wall built by dominant caste villagers reportedly to segregate the Dalit population in the Village of Uthapuram in Tamil Nadu. The village witnessed violence between Dalits and the dominant castes during 1948, 1964 and 1989 and was also known for its caste based discrimination.

The 2019 Ponparappi violence happened on April 18, 2019, during the polling day for the 2019 Indian general election in the village of Ponparappi, Tamil Nadu. The violence reportedly started as scuffles and agitations between the supporters of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the members of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) together with the members of Hindu Munnani, which reportedly led to violence by the members of the PMK on a Dalit colony. 60 to115 Dalit houses were damaged and Dalits were assaulted.

The 1995 Kodiyankulam violence occurred on August 31, 1995 when a force of 600 policemen attacked the all-Dalit village of Kodiyankulam in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India and destroyed property and took away cash and jewellery worth several lakhs of rupees. The police raid was on the instruction of the dominant caste officials. The raid was reportedly held to destroy the material prosperity of the Dalits.

The 1987 Vanniyar reservation protest was week-long a protest organized by the Vanniyar Sangham headed by S. Ramadoss in Tamil Nadu in September 1987 demanding 20 percent reservation for Vanniyars in education and employment in the state and 2 percent in education and employment in the Union government. The agitation turned violent and destructive, the protestors damaged roadways and reportedly cut down lakhs of trees to block roadways, and destroyed public property. The activists of the Vanniyar Sangham attacked Dalit settlements and burned down more than 1,400 Dalit houses in numerous villages. At least 21 people were shot dead by the Tamil Nadu police sent to suppress the agitators.

The 1978 Villupuram atrocity was an incident of caste based violence which happened on July 1978 in Villupuram, Tamil Nadu. The violence resulted in 12 Dalits being killed and more than 100 Dalit houses burned down in Periyaparaichery, a Dalit settlement. The violence was caused when a group of Dalits allegedly attacked a dominant caste man after he allegedly molested a Dalit women. Later, dominant caste people attacked the settlement with rocket fireworks and indulged in arsoning and assault. The Dalits also retaliated by setting fire to several dominant caste houses.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 RAJASEKARAN, ILANGOVAN. "Night of terror". Frontline. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  2. 1 2 3 Sridharan, Janani. "How an attack on Dalits on Independence Day reveals the cynical caste politics in Tamil Nadu". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  3. ↑ "Get Wired 18/8: MoEF Bypassing SC, Special Parl. Session, IndiGo's Order, and More". The Wire. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  4. ↑ "Dalit houses torched for taking out procession in Tamil Nadu village: How the conflict unfolded". Firstpost. 2015-08-18. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "40 Hurt, 15 Houses, Temple Car Torched in Villupuram". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  6. ↑ Sivaraman, R. (2015-08-17). "70 held for burning Dalit houses in Villupuram". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  7. 1 2 3 "Temple procession row: TN police nab 75 for torching Dalit houses". The Indian Express. 2015-08-18. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  8. ↑ "Tamil Nadu: Vanniyars attack Dalit procession, torch huts". The Indian Express. 2015-08-17. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  9. ↑ "Dalits Too Resorted to Violence: Witness". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  10. ↑ Naig, Udhav (2015-08-23). "A promise ends in a riot". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  11. 1 2 "Key Accused in Caste Riots Held". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  12. ↑ Naig, Udhav (2015-08-20). "Seshasamudram village still shaken". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  13. ↑ "Caste-tempers rise in Villupuram yet again as another house set on fire". The News Minute. 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  14. 1 2 3 "Another Hut Afire; Riot-hit Village Limps to Normalcy". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  15. ↑ Team, DNA Web (2015-09-02). "Tamil Nadu village tense after 2 Dalit houses burnt". DNA India. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  16. ↑ Kalyanaraman, M. (Aug 25, 2015). "Villupuram riot, a flashpoint in caste build-up | Chennai News - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2016-07-25. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  17. ↑ "DMDK politician arrested for Villupuram Dalit colony riots". The News Minute. 2015-09-04. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  18. ↑ "Villupuram Retd HM, Ryot Held in Riots Case". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  19. ↑ kumar, pradeep (2015-08-18). "So much violence for five feet of road". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  20. ↑ "Seshasamudram Violence: Jaya Grants Rs 50k Aid to 8 Cops, 3 Village Assistants". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  21. 1 2 "Krishnasamy condemns Sankarapuram violence". The Hindu. 2015-08-19. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2020-12-27.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.