2012 Dharmapuri violence

2012 Dharmapuri violence
Caste-related violence against Dalits
Date7 November 2012
Location
Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu
Caused byCaste tensions
MethodsArson, vandalism, looting
Casualties
Arrested142
Damage
  • 268 Dalit houses set on fire
  • 1500+ people left homeless
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In the 2012 Dharmapuri violence, a Vanniyar caste mob set fire to about 268 Dalit houses in Natham, old and new Kondampatti and Annanagar Dalit colonies in Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu on 8 November 2012.[1] The violence occurred after a Vanniyar girl from Sellankottai village, and a Dalit boy, from the neighbouring Dalit colony of Natham, fled due to parental opposition to get married. A caste panchayat held on the morning of 7 November by leaders from both communities ruled that the girl be returned to her family. Distraught at her decision to stay with her husband, her father allegedly committed suicide. The discovery of his body later that day is said to have provoked a 1,500-strong mob to rampage through Natham and two smaller Dalit settlements, Kondampatti and Anna Nagar, where it set ablaze over 200 houses, damaged at least 50 others, and allegedly looted valuables and cash worth lakhs of rupees. The mob rampaged for four hours and was brought under control after arrest of 90 men and an additional deployment of 1000 policemen.[2]

While Ramadoss, belonging to Vanniyar political outfit Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), had rubbished allegations that his party orchestrated the incident, many Dalits believe otherwise. His party is said to have fomented tension between Vanniyars and Dalits by publicly condemning marriages between the two.[3]

Many of the victims had blamed the fecklessness of the police and the district administration as this was a planned incident where a caste mob had been mobilised from 22 neighbouring villages. Though around 300 policemen were present on the spot anticipating trouble, they failed to control the violent gathering as the mob was eight times higher than the number of deployed forces.[4][5] The Sub-inspector of Police, belonging to same caste of boy, and the constables responsible for maintaining peace in the area have since been transferred or suspended.[5]

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) described the attack as well- organized and pre-planned.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ K A Shaji, TNN; V Senthil Kumaran; Karthick S (9 November 2012). "Inter-caste marriage sparks riot in Tamil Nadu district, 148 dalit houses torched". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  3. ^ Shoba, V (25 November 2012). "Love and violence in Dharmapuri - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com.
  4. ^ Shaji, K. A.; Kumaran, V. Senthil (8 November 2012). "Hindu: Dalit houses torched, caste violence in Dharmapuri". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Love and violence in Dharmapuri - Indian Express". Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference SC-Panel-Organized was invoked but never defined (see the help page).