Long Simmering Tension Between Members Of Two Dalit Communities Come To A Boil In Tamil Nadu

The long simmering tension between members of two Dalit communities of Tamil Nadu – Arunthathiyars and Paraiyars – has come to a boil in Santhaiyur village in Madurai district.

The members of  Arunthathiyar community allege that a wall has been constructed by the Paraiyar community to deny them access to the poramboke land – land without a title – around a temple in the village. Terming it an 'untouchability wall', the  Arunthathiyar community has been demanding its demolition.

According to a ground report by The Newsminute, members of the Arunthathiyar community claim that the Paraiyars are trying to keep them out of the Raja Kali Amman temple in the village. Seventy families belonging to the Arunthathiyar community left their homes and camped near a hillock outside the village, demanding that the wall be demolished.

Last year the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had directed the district administration to act in accordance with the law and ordered the wall to be demolished within four months. The Paraiyar community had recently obtained a stay against the demolition and the wall continues to stand.

The Pallar, Paraiyar and Arunthathiyar communities constitute the three major Dalit groups in the state of Tamil Nadu. The Arunthathiyar are landless and are traditionally associated with the task of cleaning up the dead animals, scavenging the village, and work related to animal skin and leather.

The Pallar and Paraiyar populations are represented by political parties like Dalit Panthers of India or Pudhiya Tamizhagam in Tamil Nadu.

In 2012, in a case of alleged honour killing in a village in Villupuram district, a Paraiyar girl, Gogila was murdered by her family because of her love marriage with an Arunthathiyar boy, Karthikeyan.