Ribbons with caste code hoisted in Tirunelveli, TN: Police initiate probe

The Tirunelveli police have commenced a probe after complaints of a few students of a government higher secondary school in the district had hoisted ribbons with the colour of a particular caste

Chennai, Jan 25 (BPNS)

The Tirunelveli police have commenced a probe after complaints of a few students of a government higher secondary school in the district had hoisted ribbons with the colour of a particular caste. The incident occurred on Monday and the principal of the school, Alex Sahayaraj has filed a police complaint against unidentified students.

Some caste outfits also have filed complaints to the district collector against the hoisting of a ribbon with the colour of a particular caste. It is to be noted that around 800 students are studying in the school and the students who had hoisted the ribbon with a particular caste colour had the support of a few teachers in the school.

It may be noted that Tamil Nadu, especially Southern Tamil Nadu, is tense following caste-related issues. The presence of Human excreta in the overhead water tank that supplies drinking water to a Dalit colony in Vengaivayal panchayath in Pudukottai district had shocked the society. The CB-CID that commenced the probe is still not able to crack the case and the perpetrators are still at large.

Several Dalit political parties and Dalit movements had demanded demolishing the overhead water tank as it was an ignominy to the Dalits and the downtrodden of the state.

It is also to be recalled that in a series of violent killings and counter-killings in October 2021 in Tirunelveli and Madurai districts several people lost their lives. This has led to friction in these areas and the Director General of Police, C.Sylendrababu had camped in Madurai to bring an end to the violence.

With the ribbon bearing the colour of a particular caste being hoisted, the local people fear that the old rivalry may come back leading to fights and later to killings and have appealed to the police to crush this with an iron hand.

Shamuganadhan, a social activist of Tirunelveli while speaking to BPNS said, “ Police have to act now and arrest those behind the children hoisting a ribbon bearing a particular caste identity. This is an insult as there are 800 students studying in the school and in a society where caste consciousness is prevalent, such a move would backfire.”