http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=It+was+a+peaceful+agitation,+claim+locals&artid=2OvX6Oe3iDI=&SectionID=vBlkz7JCFvA=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=EL7znOtxBM3qzgMyXZKtxw==&SEO=
By Gokul Vannan 05 Nov 2008 02:16:00 AM IST It was a peaceful agitation, claim locals CHENNAI: The incident at Uthapuram also highlights the fact that in conflicts involving Dalits and people of other castes, it is the Dalits who are at the receiving end. In Kottappati , it is alleged that police went on a rampage, attacking women and children, after the men abandoned their homes and ran for their lives. It was the second time in the last two months that the police had unleashed violence against the Dalits in the region — at Uthapuram on October 1 and at Kottapatti on Tuesday. In fact, the people of Kottapatti were only agitating in a peaceful manner when the police attack began. "My son Suresh had just then gone outside the house to see what was going on in our village when he was shot by the police," said his mother Murugeswari over telephone from the village. Kameswari, district coordinator, Women's Voice, an NGO, who had given her phone to Murugeswari to speak to this reporter said: "More than 20 women who were injured in the police attack on October 1 are still visiting hospitals. We have sent petitions to the Human Rights Commission and the Women's Commission but there has been no response so far," Kameswari said. So, with the people of Uthapur am still living in fear, the firing in Kottapatti has shattered the Dalits' confidence. Social activists said it was the lack of official and political determination that had led to such a deterioration in relationship between the Pallars (Dalits) and Pillaimars (caste Hindus). "Police violence against Dalits has been a regular phenomenon in Uthapuram. Even in the 1989 riots, two Dalits were killed in police firing," said T Rajan, a rights activist, who said the police never attacked or lathi-charged caste Hindus. "If police were neutral, they should have set up an outpost in a common place in Uthapuram but they chose the house of a caste Hindu for setting up the police outpost," said a Dalit from Uthapuram. A senior police officer, who had played an active role in resolving the 1989 caste conflict in Thevaram village in Theni district, said that riots had then spread up to Madurai and that was one of the worst caste wars in recent times. But both the communities have now learnt to coexist. This was due to the initiative taken by the police, he said. "We formed peace committees and made members of both the communities a part of it," the police officer said. He warned that if the police failed to bring peace to at the earliest, the situation could get out of hand. ------------------------------------ ---- INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE:- On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to [email protected] TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:- If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/ Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
