A five-year-old boy is among the victims. They all are being treated for their injuries in a local hospital. Police have arrested the two assaulters.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Five members of the Dalit community, including a five-year-old boy, were brutally attacked with swords by two upper caste men in the Perungudi region of Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district earlier this week, reports reaching here said on Friday.
The severely injured victims in the November 27 incident are currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital. The two accused have also been arrested.
The victims have been identified as Ganapathy Kumar, Ajith, Vijayakumar, Periyasamy, and his five-year-old grandson. They all are residents of Sankaiah Koil Street in Perungudi and members of the Paraiyar community, which is a Scheduled Caste group.
The incident was reported on the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) website which cited a The News Minute report claiming that the victims were having a conversation at a playground before heading to work as daily labourers on the fateful evening. They were reportedly approached by two men named R. Mari and K. Sasikumar who wanted to know the whereabouts of an individual named Kannan Pillai.
When the labourers showed their ignorance about the sought-after individual, some heated exchanges ensued. The accused then resorted to throwing some casteist slurs at the victims. The accused mentioned their caste and alleged that they were not being shown the respect they deserved.
The alleged attackers belong to the Kallar community which holds considerable political clout in the region, The News Minute report said.
As the arguments heated up, the accused brought out swords and attacked the Dalit men. The attackers did not even spare the boy, leaving him with cuts on his legs. The attackers allegedly fled the scene as passersby gathered at the scene. The injured Dalits were quickly transported to the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai where they are currently undergoing treatment.
Reports suggest that the police have begun an investigation and arrested the two accused. Authorities also heightened security measures in Perungudi village to ensure that calm prevails in the area.
The attack has sparked widespread condemnation from various Dalit rights activists and has prompted the Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai to express shock at the issue and demand strict action against the culprits.
