Coimbatore admn brings down 'untouchability wall'
Express news service
Posted online: Sunday , Jan 31, 2010 at 0304 hrs
Chennai : A wall built twenty years ago by upper caste Hindus
allegedly to keep out Dalits, was finally demolished by the
authorities in Coimbatore district on Saturday. The 20-feet long wall
built across a public road is the second such 'untouchability wall'
found in the state, the first being the one at Uthapuram village near
Madurai.
According to sources, the wall at Singanellur in Coimbatore was
constructed by caste Hindus after 58 Dalit families were housed in a
new colony named Thanthai Periyar Nagar under a government scheme in
1989. The structure blocked direct access to the main road in an
attempt to prevent the Dalit families from traversing through the
areas populated by the caste Hindus. A Vinayak temple was also built
near it to impart religious sanctity to the structure.
The Untouchability Eradication Front, a social grouping backed by the
CPM that first exposed the existence of the Uthapuram wall, took up
the issue with the district administration, arguing that the wall was
at once illegal and against integration of society. "We brought this
to the attention of the Corporation Commissioner and other senior
officials and also provided them enough evidence to prove that the
wall was build on encroached land and that it segregated public on
caste lines," said a member of the Front. After initial inquiry, the
civic administration decided that the wall was illegal and should be
demolished, said city Commissioner Anshul Mishra, even as he refused
to comment on whether it was indeed an "untouchability wall".
"The local public perceived it as being discriminatory and in our
inquiry it was clear that the wall was constructed across a public
road without any permission. We also consulted the district
administration and finally decided to demolish the wall," said Mishra.
The decision kicked up a row with members from the caste Hindu
families protesting against the demolition on Saturday morning.
However, a strong posse of police men removed them from the spot
immediately.
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