Scheduled Caste residents stage protest against denial of role in temple festival at Thittanimuttam in Tiruvarur district

Seeking the right to participate in the annual village temple festival, Scheduled Caste (SC) residents of Thittanimuttam in Musiriyam panchayat staged a sit-in protest at the Sri Koothaiyanar Temple on Monday

Seeking the right to participate in the annual village temple festival, Scheduled Caste (SC) residents of Thittanimuttam in Musiriyam panchayat of Tiruvarur district staged a sit-in protest at the Sri Koothaiyanar Temple on Monday.

Demanding equal rights in temple festival rituals and administrative involvement, the protesters — comprising men, women, and elders — gathered within the temple premises, declaring they would not disperse until their demands were addressed.

For over five years, the SC community has sought representation in the management of the village temple, which they say serves the entire community. However, their demands have consistently been opposed by a section of Backward Classes (BC) and Most Backward Class (MBC) residents who have long managed the temple’s affairs.

A.N. Vijaya Kumar of the village said: “We do not have a temple of our own, except for a small shrine to our guardian deity ‘Samban’, which lacks even a basic structure. In contrast, there are four temples in the village used by the BC and MBC communities where we have no right or participation. They even collect temple taxes from us for festivals, yet we are not allowed to take part. We are not permitted to carry pāl kudam (milk pots) during the festivals—only they are.”

Tamil Nadu Agricultural Workers Union district president S. Thambusamy and CPM’s unit secretary K. Gopinath, backed the protest. “Despite several petitions, the 105 SC families in the village remain excluded from temple committees and rituals,” said Mr. Gopinath. “This is institutionalised exclusion.”

The protest prompted the intervention of Koothanallur Tahsildar S. Vasumathi, who held preliminary discussions with both groups in the presence of revenue and police officials. She assured that a peace meeting would be convened by the Mannargudi Revenue Divisional Officer on June 12 and requested both parties to maintain peace until then.

The temple festival has been postponed. Following the assurances, the SC residents temporarily called off the protest.