Chennai: With the support of district administration in the Tiruvannamalai district, two hundred Dalits families who were denied entry into a temple for several decades set foot inside the temple and were able to see the deity.
The women devotees had taken with their offerings for the deity besides firewood and ingredients to prepare Pongal when the Police led them to the temple. One of the devotees was heard saying to the NDTV that it was for them a dream come true as they were not allowed inside the temple to worship the deity. They also shared their excitement about seeing God inside the temple.
The district administration a took stand when the temple entry issue came up at a parents-teachers meeting. The administration held several rounds of meeting with the upper caste community leaders for paving a smooth entry for the Dalits into the temple. The state police also stood with the district administration by deploying 400 security personnel to meet any untoward incident.
Caste discrimination and hatred towards scheduled castes are rampant in many parts of Tamil Nadu where untouchability is a norm in salons and hotels that deny their services to members of the lower caste communities.