Chennai, April 16( IANS)
Residents of the Vengaivayal Dalit colony in Muttukadu panchayath in Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu have said that they would boycott the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
Dalit residents of Vengaivayal have on Monday put up banners announcing their decision to boycott the polls, at two places in the village.
The village has about 30 families from the Dalit community.
Pudukottai comes under Tiruchirappalli Lok Sabha constituency where Durai Vaiko son of MDMK leader Vaiko is contesting the polls as INDIA block candidate. AIADMK has fielded Karuppiah while the NDA candidate is Senthilnathan of AMMK.
The residents have threatened to boycott the elections after the CB-CID of the Tamil Nadu police failed to arrest those involved in mixing human feaces in an overhead drinking water tank in the village.
The incident that happened on December 26,2022 led to major uproar in the state of Tamil Nadu and there were allegations of either the upper caste people or the intermediary caste people having mixed human feaces in overhead drinking water tank that was supplying water to Dalit colony in Vengaivayal.
The elite CB-CID has been investigating the case on the incident but there has not been any major leads in the case.
The residents of the colony alleged that the police have not found any lead in the case even after conducting the investigation since December 2022.
The CB-CID police however said that as there was no direct evidence in the case they were trying to find scientific evidence and has conducted DNA tests and voice analaysis of some of the suspects.
K.Shailaja, a resident of the Vengaivayal Dalit colony while speaking to IANS said, “It is going to be two years since the incident took place, but we haven’t got justice as yet. We have been traumatised and there was serious investigation when the issue hit the headlines and now nothing is happening. Politicians come to us only during elections and we have decided to boycott the ensuing Lok Sabha polls .“
She said,” People of the village were not even able to travel by bus to another village to attend even a family function in the neighbouring village as police suspect that we may be going for protest.“
MK Velu another resident said,” To hold a function, we have to get permission from the Deputy Superintendent of Police and Superintendent of Police We are boycotting this Lok Sabha election as we don’t have any other option left,”
He said that with constant police presence ,the village feels like an open prison and that they wanted an end to this kind of torture.
Velu further said that as they were few in numbers and hence no politician was taking up the issue but added that tbey were protesting by boycotting the polls as this would bring the matter again known to outside world.
