NE NEWS SERVICE
THIRUVANNAMALAI, JAN 30
In the land of Vaikom champion EVR and Mahakavi Bharathiyar, there is no independence for the Dalits even after 80 years. However, this New Year saw some transformation, the HR & CE and district authorities have facilitated the entry of Dalits in three different places in Tamil Nadu.
Dalit people in Thenmadiyanur village in Tiruvannamalai district were let inside a Muthumariyamman temple belonging to HR&CE dept after 80 yrs. Dalits in the village were denied entry inside the temple ever since it was constructed 80 years ago. pic.twitter.com/LYWgVbuwrs
— Prabhakar Tamilarasu || பிரபாகர் தமிழரசு (@pkr_madras) January 30, 2023
Incidentally, Chief Minister MK Stalin, Assembly Speaker Appavu, Cabinet ministers, MPs and MLAs of DMK, chief secretary, and other senior government officials took an oath against untouchability on Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary on Monday.
மாண்புமிகு முதலமைச்சர் திரு.@mkstalin அவர்கள் தலைமையில், மாண்புமிகு சட்டப்பேரவைத் தலைவர் திரு. @AppavuSpeaker, மாண்புமிகு அமைச்சர் பெருமக்கள், நாடாளுமன்ற, சட்டமன்ற உறுப்பினர்கள், தலைமைச் செயலாளர், அரசு உயர் அலுவலர்கள் பணியாளர்கள் தீண்டாமை ஒழிப்பு உறுதிமொழி எடுத்துக் கொண்டனர். pic.twitter.com/U6eQf1X9io
— TN DIPR (@TNDIPRNEWS) January 30, 2023
- Chief Minister MK Stalin, Assembly Speaker Appavu, Cabinet ministers, MPs and MLAs of DMK, chief secretary, and other senior government officials took an oath against untouchability on Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary on Monday.
- Just weeks ago, Kavitha Ramu, the Pudukottai District Collector had led a group of scheduled castes into a temple ending decades of denial of access
Over 300 Scheduled Caste (SC) people entered a temple in Tamil Nadu with full police protection even as they faced opposition from upper caste communities on Sunday.
Dalits enter Tiruvannamalai temple after 80 years
Dalit residents entered the Muthumaariamman temple in Thenmudiyanur village in Tiruvannamalai after 80 years.#Dalits #Tiruvannamalai #Castediscrimination #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/vO1MwQAvDf
— TheNewsMinute (@thenewsminute) January 30, 2023
Muthu Mariyamman Temple at Thandarampattu in Thiruvannamalai comes under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Board, where a 12-day festival is conducted annually during Pongal.
However, Dalit families were not given temple access for the past 80 years, and this year, representatives from the community sought permission from the village heads to allow them to participate in the festival for a day and allow entry into the temple.
However, after the village heads refused, they approached Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) authorities in Thiruvannamalai and filed a petition, prompting an investigation.
After confirming that Dalits were not allowed inside the temple, HR&CE officials decided to make sure that Dalits were allowed entry.
On Sunday, with heavy police protection, they scripted history. Upper-caste communities registered their protest after government officials reiterated that temples belong to everyone.
Several Dalit families walked into the temple carrying garlands and items to cook Pongal and had the deity’s darshan.
Just weeks ago, Kavitha Ramu, the Pudukottai District Collector had led a group of scheduled castes into a temple ending decades of denial of access. This violation came to light as police investigated mixing of human faeces in a tank that supplied drinking water to Dalits.
