SC homes attacked as caste clashes erupt during temple festival at village in Pudukkottai

Clashes between MBC and SC villagers in Pudukkottai district over temple rituals lead to violence and arrests.

Clashes erupted between villagers belonging to the Most Backward Community (MBC) and the Scheduled Caste (SC) at Vadakadu in Pudukkottai district on Monday night, resulting in arson.

The hut of a 58-year-old woman, S. Mallika, and three two-wheelers were allegedly set ablaze by some MBC members in Thiruvalluvar Nagar, an SC hamlet.

Seven houses were vandalised; two cars were damaged; and the window pane of a government bus was shattered during the violence, which broke out during the annual Muthumariamman temple festival in the village. A police constable, Muthukrishnan, from the Vadakadu police station, also sustained injuries.

The police booked 15 individuals from the caste Hindu community — 13 of whom have been arrested. Five SC villagers have also been booked, one of whom has been arrested. The charges include rioting, unlawful assembly, and provisions under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The SC villagers have additionally been charged with carrying weapons and indulging in violence.

Twelve SC members and eight MBC members are being treated at the Alangudi Government Hospital and Pudukkottai Government Medical College and Hospital. The villagers said that an altercation between teenagers and youth from the two communities escalated into the violence.

The two sides gave conflicting versions of how the incident was triggered. Between 9. 30 p.m. and 11. 30 p.m., over 400 caste Hindu men reportedly entered the SC hamlet and began vandalising property. The situation was brought under control after Pudukkottai Superintendent of Police Abhishek Gupta and Law Minister S. Regupathy visited the village late in the night.

Thiruvalluvar Nagar, home to about 150 families, is the only SC hamlet in a panchayat comprising 17 smaller settlements – 15 of which belong to a dominant MBC community. At the centre of the conflict is access to and participation in religious rituals at the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments-administered Muthumariamman temple. SC residents said there had been a long-standing caste-based discrimination, and that the recent violence was rooted in a deeper social exclusion.