Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on Wednesday expressed concern over the “rise in caste atrocities in the State”. Presiding over the Guru Pooja of Swami Nandhanar organised by Tamil Seva Sangam at Adhanur village near Kattumannarkovil in the district, he opined that although the trend of caste discrimination was being witnessed across the country, Tamil Nadu was witnessing a greater rise in caste-based atrocities, which is a matter of concern.
Mr. Ravi said the response of the law enforcement and criminal justice system was “awful” when it came to crimes against the Dalits and the rate of conviction was only 7% in rape cases, in which the survivors were women from the Scheduled Castes. He referred to various incidents including the mixing of human faeces in a water tank in a Dalit hamlet in Vengaivayal, denial of entry into temples, and discrimination at local bodies.
The Governor said a section of students in schools in Tamil Nadu had been identifying themselves with caste by wearing tags and bands on their wrists. “This is a matter of concern and I do not know what kind of culture is this,” he rued. A woman who was elected as president of a Panchayat union was yet to assume office because she belonged to a Scheduled Caste community. This trend in the escalation of caste atrocities should be viewed seriously, he said.
The Governor also stressed the need for the people to live with mutual understanding and said that one should not give room for any barriers. The country had been transformed only after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister. He has been looking at the country as one organic family, he said adding that this was also the dream of poet Subramaniya Bharathiyar.
