The woman, an elected panchayat leader, said she faced discrimination
Chennai:
A photograph showing an elected female panchayat leader sitting on the floor in a meeting she is expected to chair – while others are seated in chairs – has sparked outrage in Tamil Nadu and revealed deep-rooted discriminatory practices.
The receiver for the Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu, where the incident took place, suspended the panchayat secretary and ordered an investigation after the photo was posted on social media.
The woman seen in the photo of the chairperson of the Therku Thittai village panchayat and is from the Adi Dravida community, a listed caste. She was elected to her post – a reserved seat – last year.
“Because of my caste, the vice president wouldn’t let me chair the meeting. He didn’t even let me hoist the flag. He made his father do it. Although I have been cooperating with the upper castes for all these months, it is going too far now. ,” she says.
Speaking to GalacticGaming, District Collector Chandra Sekhar Sakhamuri said: “We are investigating the case and will have clarification in a few hours. The secretary was suspended because she did not notify the authorities. of this alleged discrimination. “
Despite laws prohibiting untouchability and caste discrimination, these are still practiced throughout Tamil Nadu, with restrictions on cooking utensils and dishes (“upper castes” refuse to eat prepared foods. by the “lower castes” or to use plates and glasses they use) and dress among other things.
In many villages there are also designated areas for listed castes and they are not allowed to wear shoes when passing through areas where “upper castes” live. In the past, many have been filmed with slippers in hand in these areas.
Until ten years ago, three reserved village panchayats – Pappapatti, Keeripatti and Nattarmangalam in Madurai district – had no nominees from the programmed caste vying for fear of reactions from the dominant castes.
Those who dared to compete and win were forced to resign, mocking the electoral reservation system to politically empower men and women from oppressed communities.
Women in these communities continue to be victims of sexual abuse.
In Tuticorin district, it has even been reported that dogs adopted by members of oppressed communities have been forced to stay away from those adopted by “upper castes”.
There are also separate cremation grounds.
Listed caste communities are politically divided and do not constitute a strong voting bank. The state’s Dravidian political parties are unwilling to crack down on these atrocities because the “upper castes” are, in contrast, a strong voting bank.
