Vadakadu clash cannot be reduced to a law and order issue, says Thirumavalavan
The Hindu
VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan condemns police handling of Vadakadu incident, demands justice for Scheduled Castes.
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president and Chidambaram MP Thol. Thirumavalavan on Monday condemned the police having called the Vadakadu incident a non-caste clash. He said his party opposed treating the incident as a mere law and order issue.
At a protest organised by his party at Thilagar Thidal in Pudukkottai, he alleged that during the Muthumariamman Temple festival, members of the Most Backward Classes (MBCs) entered the Scheduled Caste hamlet at Vadakadu, damaged property, and torched a hut belonging to a Dalit widow during the May 5 clash. He demanded that the case be transferred to the CB-CID.
Speaking to reporters before the protest, he urged Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to issue guidelines for the Collectors and police officers to deal with incidents of violence against the Scheduled Castes. “The government must intervene in the court proceedings to secure the rights of the Scheduled Castes to the disputed Ayyanar Temple land and the adjoining public space at Vadakadu,” he said.
Condemning the registration of First Information Reports against the Scheduled Caste victims, including college students, Mr. Thirumavalavan demanded disciplinary action against the police officers concerned. “Across Tamil Nadu, government officials and the police often fail to respond adequately when Dalits are attacked. Hence, the Chief Minister must lay down standard protocols,” he said. “Denying the caste dimension in such acts of violence amounts to denying justice to the victims,” he added.
On the recent Supreme Court remarks in a case related to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, Mr. Thirumavalavan criticised the court’s statement that India is not a ‘dharamshala’ (shelter home). Giving refuge to those fleeing famine and conflict is a moral obligation of a country, he said. The United Nations had laid out guidelines in this regard. The court’s remarks went against humanitarian values, he added.
The Pudukkottai district police had denied permission for the protest. But the VCK obtained approval from the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court and staged the protest as scheduled. It was led by Elamathi Ashokan, North Pudukkottai district secretary of the VCK.
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