Investigations are underway to find the criminals who put human excreta inside a lone overhead tank supplying potable water to the scheduled caste (SC) community in Vengaivayal village in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukottai district, officials said.
Minister for environment and climate change V Meyyanathan, who visited the village on Thursday, said the government will start construction of another overhead tank for them which would be ready in 20 days. “Water will be provided for these people from a new overhead tank in 20 days,” the minister said. “If each human respects another, such incidents will not happen. The police and district officials were here as soon as the incident came to light. We will not let go of the culprits who indulged in such an inhuman act.”
Currently the Dalit residents of the village are using water to drink from another mini tank, said Pudukottai collector Kavitha Ramu. “And a 30000 litre overhead tank that’s common to all villagers,” she said.
On Wednesday, the Madurai bench of the Madras high court sought a status report from officials on the case. Based on a PIL on the crime, the court has sought reports from the Pudukkottai district collector, superintendent of police and the deputy superintendent of police of the wing of Human Rights and Social Justice. The crime came to light on Monday after a local doctor told villagers to check for contamination in their drinking water after several children had fallen ill with vomiting and diarrhoea.
Police registered three cases related to this crime on Monday. No arrests have been made so far as the miscreants are yet to be identified. There are about 30-odd Dalit families living here. Three children had to be hospitalised recently following which a local doctor told their parents to see if their drinking water was contaminated. When the villagers checked their overhead tank on Monday they were horrified to find human faeces in the water. “The government has to identify the miscreants and take strict action,” said a Dalit resident Sulochana. “Today, some people have put faeces. Tomorrow they might poison our water.”
The Muttukkadu panchayat president M Padma filed a complaint at the Vellanur police station on Monday. Deputy Superintendent of Police V Raghavi was conducting investigations in the village for a third straight day on Thursday. They have not yet identified the miscreants.
In several rural villages in Tamil Nadu, there are water sources for Dalits which are separate from those used by other communities. The incident also highlighted several other untouchability practices such as Dalits being given a different cup in tea shops, not being allowed inside temples to pray along with other communities.
A day after the crime, district collector Kavitha Ramu and superintendent of police Vanditha Pandey led the Dalits to their local temple where they have been denied entry for generations. A young mother named Dhanam said that they had an opportunity to pray at the temple which they have not had for three generations. “The equality we received now should continue. We should be able to continue praying here. It shouldn’t stop as a one-time incident.”
