TN: Villagers clash during temple festival; police, VCK differ on caste angle
Dalits claim violence erupted after they touched temple car; police claim attack was result of quarrel at petrol pump over who would refuel first
A violent confrontation between members of two different castes at a village in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai district left a house charred and over 10 people injured late Monday (May 5) night.
Though the Pudukkottai district police—who have arrested 14 suspects—claimed that the clash resulted from an altercation between two persons and ruled out the caste angle, Thol Thirumavalavan, founder of VCK, a Dalit party, condemned the police for doing so even before concluding the investigation.
Temple car or petrol pump?
The incident took place in Vadakadu village of Pudukkottai district, 380 km from Chennai, where members of the Muthuraja (classified as Backward Class in Tamil Nadu) and Scheduled Caste communities clashed violently.
While the Dalits claim that the violence erupted after they touched the Muthumariamman temple car, the district police say the attack was the result of a quarrel at a petrol pump between two individuals over who would refuel first.
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The police claimed the verbal duel quickly escalated when intoxicated youths from both groups followed each other to the Dalit residential area, leading to a physical altercation.
“In the brawl, a thatched house was set on fire and a government bus was damaged. But the widely circulated claims of targeted attacks, multiple sickle injuries, and assaults on police officers are entirely false,” the police said in the press release.
Attacked in hospital, says VCK leader
However, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan had a different story to offer. “When Dalits tried to establish their rights in participating in the temple car festival, they were attacked. Though they had customary rights to pull the temple car, they were denied their rights and attacked severely,” Thirumavalavan alleged.
He said the district police authorities should investigate the case and allay the fears of the Dalit families in Vadakadu.
“Cars, bikes, and houses were torched during the temple festival. Why was the attack carried out during the temple car festival? Twelve persons were admitted to the hospital with severe laceration wounds. Some people even went into the Alangudi Government Hospital and attacked the injured persons,” he claimed.
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Police play down incident
Sources confirmed to The Federal that more than 10 people from both communities were hospitalized at Alangudi Government Hospital and Pudukkottai Government Medical College Hospital after the clash. Heavy police deployment has been done in Vadakadu village, and transport services in the region were suspended till Tuesday morning.
Social media platform X, too, has been flooded with alarming claims suggesting that Dalit homes were set on fire, five people were injured in sickle attacks, and four police officers—including an inspector—had suffered injuries during the clash.
However, according to the district police, the posts about Dalit homes being burnt and many people being injured were false. In reality, the incident was minor, they said. They also urged the public not to believe or spread such misinformation and warned that legal action would be taken against those who promote false narratives online.
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Cases filed, peace meet called
Thirumavalavan criticised the Pudukkottai police for issuing a release even before conducting an inquiry. “The police should not rule out the caste angle in this attack. Dalits were attacked, their houses were torched, and they were ill-treated. Police should not favour one group; they should not decide based on information gathered immediately after the incident. A detailed investigation is needed in this incident,” he told the media.
Cases have been filed under various sections, including the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, based on a complaint by members of the Dalit community, and an attempt to murder section based on a complaint from members of the Muthuraja community.
The district administration has called a peace committee meeting to prevent further escalation. Buses on the Pudukkottai-Pattukottai route were diverted through alternative routes as a precautionary measure.
