The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : "Dalits attending public hearing felt insecure"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 16, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

"Dalits attending public hearing felt insecure"

Staff Reporter

Parties have no regard for the concerns of Dalits: Thirumavalavan

MADURAI: Dalit Panthers of India general secretary Thol. Thirumavalavan said some Dalits who participated in the public hearing on the status of Dalits in four reserved village panchayats in Madurai and Virudhunagar districts here on Tuesday were apprehensive of reprisal from non-Dalits.

The hearing was held by the Dalit Panthers of India, Human Rights Forum for Dalit Liberation-Tamil Nadu, National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights, and People's Watch - Tamil Nadu.

He said though the hearing was meant to bring out the concerns of Dalits in Pappapati, Keeripatti and Nattarmangalam in Madurai and Kottakachiyendal panchayat in Virudhunagar district, several Dalits did not speak as they feared they would be targeted by non-Dalits when they returned to their villages. Hence, they sought separate audiences with the jury.

He said political parties in the State shunned the meeting organised by the DPI in Chennai in May in connection with the hearing held on Tuesday. The parties showed disregard for the concerns of Dalits and did not respond to the invitation to attend the hearing.

In spite of this, the DPI had decided to convene a national convention at Chennai in July. National leaders such as V.P. Singh and the former President, K.R. Narayanan, would participate, he said.

Earlier, the candidate for the Keeripatti panchayat president's post, Poonkodi, told the jury that the officials had failed to initiate action against those who intimidated Dalits repeatedly or disrupted the poll process over the last nine years. He had to flee to Chennai to evade attack from non-Dalits.

He expressed the hope that the State Government would initiate measures to ensure that these four panchayats remained reserved for another decade.

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