http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article1148280.ece
MADURAI, February 2, 2011
Dalit woman attacked over burial ground dispute dies
Staff Reporter
Discrimination rampant in village, says NGO
A 55-year-old-Dalit woman who was injured in an alleged petrol bomb
attack by a group of caste Hindus in Koozhaiyanur village in Theni
district died at the Government Rajaji Hospital here on Tuesday
evening.
Chinnayi, who was attacked following a dispute over access to burial
ground on Thursday, had suffered 60 per cent burns. The dispute over
access to burial ground was on for quite sometime in the village and
on December 22, 2010, the caste Hindus of the village had organised a
meeting which was presided over by the panchayat president, in which,
Revenue Inspector Kodangipatty, Inspector of Police Palani Chetti
Patty and Sub-Inspector of Police Veerapandi participated. In the
meeting, it was decided that the Dalits should not use the common
burial ground and even if there was a dispute they should refer it
only to the revenue authorities and police and decide on the place of
burial.
Meanwhile, on January 2, when an elderly Dalit person died, the Dalits
of the village decided to bury him in the common burial ground meant
for Hindus, but the dominant castes objected to this and attacked
them. The Dalits staged a protest, following which the government
authorities organised a peace meeting. However, the dominant caste
members did not allow the Dalits to bury the deceased in the common
burial ground. The body had to be buried in Dalits'own land.
Tension between the Dalits and caste Hindus had been brewing for
sometime and on January 27 a group of caste Hindus attacked Chinnayi
by hurling petrol bombs, in which she suffered injuries. Raja (35),
son of Chinnayi, lodged a complaint with the Veerapandi police who
registered cases against Rasu Thevar, Damodaran, Markandan Singam and
Dhanasekaran under Sections 147, 148, 436, 307 of IPC and Scheduled
Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 3(1)(10),
3(2)(5) and were arrested.
Madurai-based non-governmental organisation, Evidence, visited the
village and found that discrimination on the basis of caste was
rampant. A. Kathir, executive director, said that the State Government
should provide Rs.10 lakh as compensation for the family of the
deceased and demanded that a team of National Human Rights Commission
should visit the village and assess the ground reality and give
recommendations to the government for follow-up action.
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