Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi president and Chidambaram MP Thol. Thirumavalavan on Tuesday pointed to the increase in cases of violence against Dalits in 2021, as per the data published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and charged that the previous AIADMK government and its administrators aided violence against the Dalits.
He urged Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to take cognisance of the lethargic attitude of the Police Department in investigating cases of atrocities against Dalits and take appropriate steps.
In a statement, Mr. Thirumavalavan said 1,144 cases had been recorded in 2019, 1,274 atrocity cases were filed in 2020 and 1,377 cases were recorded in 2021. “In 2021, 53 Dalits were killed and attempts were made on the lives of 61 Dalits. In 2020, Tamil Nadu was fifth when it came to atrocities against Dalits. Now, Tamil Nadu stands seventh,” he said.
Mr. Thirumavalavan also said Tamil Nadu also ranked high in the list when it comes to violence and discrimination against Dalit women. “In the State, 123 Dalit women were raped according to the NCRB report in 2020. In that, 88 persons were less than 18 years of age. Tamil Nadu stood fifth in the list when it came to violence against female Dalit children, and in 2021, 89 female children were raped according to the data,” he pointed out.
Mr. Thirumalavan alleged that Tamil Nadu was lethargic when it came to investigating cases of violence and discrimination against Dalits.
“As many as 694 cases were not investigated in 2020, and 825 were not properly investigated in 2021. In 40% of the registered cases, the charge-sheet has not been filed according to the report. The Police Department’s attitude is the reason why atrocities against Dalits are increasing. The Chief Minister should take cognisance of this issue and take appropriate steps to end atrocities against Dalits,” he said.
