Case Incident:
We came to know through the local community sources about the incident that 17 Arunthathiyars were killed due to the collapse Untouchability Wall in Mettupalayam of Coimbatore District. Nadur village is located in Mettupalayam municipality of Coimbatore District and around 350 Arunthathiyar families (Sub Caste of Scheduled Castes) are residing in more than 100 houses of Nadur village. Mr. Siva Subramaniam (45) S/o Mr. Arumugam belonged to the Hindu Mudaliyar caste (other backward caste) and the owner of Chakravarthi Thugil Malligai had built a house near Nadur village and residing in it.
Nadur village is almost surrounded by trader owners, land lords and business people; in order to reduce or avoid the contact with the Arunthathiyars the dominant caste people under the headship of Siva Subramaniam had built a wall with a measurement of 20 feet height and 100 feet breadth.
The Dalits in the Nadur village had petitioned to the District Collector and Revenue Divisional Officer, Mettupalayam and Mettupalayam Municipality Commissioner to immediately remove the untouchability wall. Meanwhile, there was heavy rain for the past 3 days due to the north-east monsoon and on 02.12.2019 around 4 am in the morning, the untouchability wall collapsed and fell down on four Dalit houses. The Dalit families who were sleeping in their houses including 3 children, 10 women, 4 men and totally 17 people were killed by the collapse of the wall and died in the spot. Later, the Fire Department and the villagers had taken the dead persons from the fallen walls and sent their dead bodies to the Government Hospital.
Following to this brutal incident, various Dalit Organisations, Political Parties, Movements and Human Rights Activists had gone to the hospital and had consoled the affected and deceased family members. They had also demanded that Siva Subramaniam should be arrested who was prime reason for the construction of the untouchability wall. Meantime, the policemen who were in front of the Government hospital had brutally attacked the villagers, Political parties, movements and human rights activists and had verbally abused in derogatory & filthy language referring to the caste names.
Moreover, the policemen had also brutally attacked by strangling his neck and had tortured a person named Nagai Thiruvalluvan who was associated with Dalit political party. It was a major form of caste discrimination where a political leader was attacked and abused in public view. The policemen had also arrested around 29 persons belonged to various organisations and had kept them in prison.
Interventions of SASY:
- SASY had undertaken immediately fact finding into the brutal killing of 17 Dalits on 02.12.2019, 03.12.2019.
- SASY had given a press release to the print media on 02.12.2019.
- SASY had sent complaints to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), New Delhi, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), New Delhi on 04.12.2019 to take immediate action against the persons who were involved in this brutal incident and killing of 17 innocent Dalits.
- Presently SASY is in the process of providing counselling to the affected family members in Nadur village and had consoled the deceased family members.
- Collective Fact Finding undertaken on 4th December with the human rights organisations and progressive movements including SASY, People’s Watch, Evidence into the incident and in the process of bringing a Detailed Joint Report.
We hope the collective and consistent efforts will bring justice to the survivors of human rights violations and ensure state accountability
Social Awareness Society for Youths (SASY)
