NewsClick

NewsClick
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Covid-19
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • International
  • Sports
  • Articles
  • Videos
search
menu

INTERACTIVE ELECTION MAPS

image/svg+xml
  • All Articles
  • Newsclick Articles
  • All Videos
  • Newsclick Videos
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • Sports
  • International
  • Africa
  • Latin America
  • Palestine
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • US
  • West Asia
About us
Subscribe
Follow us Facebook - Newsclick Twitter - Newsclick RSS - Newsclick
close menu
×
For latest updates on nCOVID-19 around the world visit our INTERACTIVE COVID MAP
Politics
India

A Place to Sit in a Bus Stop, Land Rights – Dalits in TN Rise to Grab Their Rights

Led by TNUEF, the recent struggles Virudhunagar, Tiruvannamalai, Pudukottai, Erode and Dharmapur have yielded some success.
Neelambaran A
01 Oct 2019
TNUEF

Chennai: At a time when atrocities on dalits continue across the country, sustained struggles against untouchability, temple entry and for land rights have yielded results in some areas of Tamil Nadu.

Spearheaded by the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF), the culmination of these struggles was held on Monday in Virudhunagar, Tiruvannamalai, Pudukottai, Erode and Dharmapuri districts, forcing the administration to concede to their demands. The struggles were announced as part of the veteran communist leader B Srinivasa Rao’s death anniversary, which falls on September 30. TNUEF is affiliated to the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch (DSMM). 

THEMMAVOOR: WAITING SHED RESTORED

The waiting shed for bus passengers in Themmavoor of Pudukottai district was restored on Sunday by the district administration after a protest call was given by TNUEF, which said the shed faced continuous damage by dominant caste Hindus and its roof and benches destroyed to prevent dalit residents from sitting there along with them. 

Dalit residents in the area have been facing discrimination since a long time and were prevented from even waiting for a bus in the common bus stop. The TNUEF announced that people would sit in protest till the shelter was restored and the administration assured them of protecting it from any future damages by the dominant castes of the village.

“Caste Hindus were repeatedly damaging the bus shelter since the past seven years. The administration finally yielded to our struggle call and has ensured that the shelter is not damaged anymore. We have demanded that a CCTV camera be installed,” Samuvel Raj, general secretary of TNUEF, told NewsClick.

Further describing the discrimination, he said a twin glass system was prevailing in the locality making a small differentiation in tea shops. “A glass with different designs was used for dalits, which is hard to differentiate at first sight. We have exposed the issue and such glasses have been removed from the shops. Frequent checking will be done to ensure that untouchability is not practiced again,” Raj said.

He said dalit residents of the locality along with the leaders of TNUEF and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] took part in the restoration of the bus shelter. 

DHARMAPURI: LAND DISTRIBUTED TO DALITS 

In Ungaranalli in Dharmapuri district, a struggle for distribution of land was held successfully, said TNUEF. A total of 78 beneficiaries were allotted 2.59 acres of land in 2011, but these were not handed over to them as there was encroachment by an individual. Incidentally, the village is close to the district collector’s office, but no steps were taken by the administration to distribute the land to landless dalits.

TNUEF%20!.jpg

Raj said: “The beneficiaries were left with no option but to wait till someone came to their rescue, as the administration claimed it was helpless. After TNUEF took up the matter, the revenue and police department officials were forced to take action. The sub-division of land was done and handed over to all the 78 beneficiaries immediately.”

VIRUDHUNAGAR:  TEMPLE CLOSED SINCE 2011 

The Kannimariamman Kamatchi temple in Pavali village of Virudhunagar district had been closed since 2011 to prevent dalits from worshipping the deity. The temple is controlled by a family of the dominant reddiyar community, which obtained an order from the high court in this regard. The family filed an affidavit stating that dalits can enter the temple and worship the deity whenever the temple is open. The court in acceptance of the affidavit had ruled that dalits should not be prevented from entering and worshipping. But the temple has remained closed ever since the court passed the order.

Raj said, “The family has moved to another district but wants to control the temple, as 10 acres of temple land is being used by them. The district administration has called for a peace committee meeting, for which they were absent. Since there is a court verdict, we are exploring legal options, but we will ensure that the temple is opened at the earliest. We have insisted on further peace committee meetings to end the deadlock as early as possible.”

TIRUVANNAMALAI: PANCHAMI LAND ENCROACHMENT

The irular community members, belonging to the Scheduled castes, were allotted with 10 acres in Kadambankuttai village of Tiruvannamalai district. The land is yet to be distributed. The Panchami land distribution was carried out during the British rule for providing land to landless dalit people. Even now the practice of allocation is taking place, a reminder of the poor socio-economic status of dalits in the state. 

TNUEF%202.jpg

Selvan, district secretary of TNUEF, told NewsClick, “The irular community people were duped of their land up to 7.26 acres by an upper caste person. He has taken over the land stating that these people have taken loans from him and since they were unable to repay, they have handed over the land to them. But Panchami lands cannot be sold or reclassified. The people were forcefully deprived of their land. Now, the revenue officials have given in writing that the land will be recovered and handed over to the rightful owners within 15 days.”

The struggle was withdrawn after the assurance from the revenue and police officials, but the leaders of TNUEF and CPI(M) have announced that they will restart the struggle if the promises were not fulfilled on time. 

ERODE: HOUSE PATTAS ASSURED IN 15 DAYS

TNUEF also said that after the struggle, 250 dalit families residing in Thopur village of Erode district have been ensured of house pattas within 15 days by the district administration. The residents were denied pattas to the plots they had been occupying since the past several years. The struggle was led by former MLA K Bala Bharathi of CPI(M). “The residents were living in fear of eviction by the administration. But now, the administration has ensured in writing to issue house pattas within 15 days. Hence, we withdrew the”, Raj said.

Overall, dalits, in spite of several struggles and enacted laws, are yet to be provided with many basic amenities. The community also faces administration and government apathy when it comes to implementation of these. However, with the recent struggles bearing some results, organisations like the TNUEF are gearing up for more struggles to win their rights.  

Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
TN Dalit Community
TN Dalit Struggles
Dalit Rights
TNUEF Struggles
Dalit Shoshan Mukti Morcha
caste discrimination
Related Stories
Fake Caste, Enjoy Privileges

Fake Caste, Enjoy Privileges

Dalit Students' Rights

Dalit Activists Protest Against Possible Scrapping of Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme

Dalit panchayat.

Empowered Yet Demeaned: Discrimination of Dalit Panchayat Heads Continue in Tamil Nadu

Musahars in Bihar

Bihar Elections: Musahars, Numerically Significant Yet ‘Otherised’

Hathras Rape Case: How the State Fails to Uphold SC/ST Victims Rights to Compensation and Rehabilitation

Hathras Rape Case: How the State Fails to Uphold SC/ST Victims Rights to Compensation and Rehabilitation

Hathras Rape Case: Grappling with ground realities of the implementation SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act

Hathras Rape Case: Grappling with Ground Realities of the Implementation SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act

Caste based discrimination

Family of Dead Jabalpur Doc Alleges Caste Slur, to Meet Chhattisgarh Governor for Action

TN This Week: Dalit Women Panchayat President Face Discrimination, COVID-19 Deaths Cross 10K, EPS to Lead AIADMK in Assembly Election

TN This Week: Dalit Women Panchayat President Face Discrimination, COVID-19 Deaths Cross 10K, EPS to Lead AIADMK in Assembly Election

Hathras Gangrape: “Forcible Cremation by the State is against the law”- Indira Jaising

Hathras Gangrape: “Forcible Cremation by the State is Against the law”- Indira Jaising

UP Bhawan Protest

Hathras Rape: Delhi Police Detains and Manhandles Protesters outside UP Bhavan

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share

Related Stories

Prudhviraj Rupavath

Telangana: Dalit Community Allegedly Boycotted in Almaspur for Demanding Arrests of Upper-Castes

01 February 2021
Over the past week several members of upper-caste communities have allegedly been socially boycotting those from Madiga and Mala communities
Kailash Jeengar

Supreme Court in Hitesh Verma Case Fails to Address Caste Discrimination

28 December 2020
The Supreme Court’s narrow interpretation of the term “within public view” in determining caste-based insults ignores the lived reali
Ravi Kaushal

How Dalits Became Part of Farmers’ Movement in Punjab

23 December 2020
Holding a flex with images of Sant Ravidas and Ambedkar, Gurpreet Lalli asks his friends frequently to click photos which he is saving for future a

Pagination

  • Next page ››

More

  • MP: With Prices above Rs 100 even Petrol Pump Owners look to Uttar Pradesh for a Refill

    MP: With Prices above Rs 100 even Petrol Pump Owners look to Uttar Pradesh for a Refill

  • Is Centre Targeting Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board Through ED?

    Is Centre Targeting Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board Through ED?

  • UP Kisan Sabha to Hold 'Maha Padyatra' to Delhi Border, 'Expose' Govt Lies about Farm Laws

    UP Kisan Sabha to Hold 'Maha Padyatra' to Delhi Border, 'Expose' Govt Lies about Farm Laws

  • Bengal Elections: The Divided Colours of Tollywood

    Bengal Elections: The Divided Colours of Tollywood

  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with
about