Tamil Nadu: disabled Dalit man, Odisha migrant worker killed in caste-based attack

A shocking caste violence case unfolded in Perumpaththu village near Nanguneri, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, where seven men armed with sickles killed a disabled Dalit man and an Odisha migrant worker on March 2. Six others, including OBC community members, suffered injuries in the assault.

Police arrested seven suspects: Kannan (21), Vasantha Kumar (21), Anthony Michel (18), Uchimahali alias Mittai (20), Raja alias Esakkiraja (19), Subbaia alias Subash (19), and Kalyani (19). All have been remanded to judicial custody. Reports suggest the attack aimed to intimidate local Dalit youth, orchestrated by men from dominant intermediate castes. Notably, two accused were previously charged in a caste attack but protected under the Juvenile Justice Act.

One suspect is the nephew of R.S. Sudalaikannu, DMK union secretary in Nanguneri, though he claims no contact with his relative for five years.

This incident follows a 2023 attack in Nanguneri, where seven Maravar teens assaulted Dalit student Chinnadurai at home over his academic success, injuring him and his 13-year-old sister. The Tamil Nadu government responded by appointing retired Justice K. Chandru's commission, which recommended banning caste markers like colored threads in schools.

Villagers from BC and Dalit communities protested the latest killings. The Odisha worker's family, D. Trinath Kata, cremated his body in Tirunelveli and sought aid from Tamil Nadu and Odisha governments. John Mark's Scheduled Caste family refused his body until all perpetrators face justice.

Tirunelveli SP V. Prassanna Kumar warned against social media posts spreading provocative, divisive content. Cases are filed at Vijayanarayanam and Nanguneri stations, with arrests underway to maintain communal harmony.