The victim is a Class 11 student from the SC community who was allegedly attacked in retaliation for defeat in a kabaddi match. Representative image: iStock
Dalit teen brutally attacked in TN, fingers cut off in alleged caste violence
Three suspects have been arrested in relation to an alleged act of caste violence against a Dalit Class 11 student in Thoothukudi
A Class 11 student was dragged out of a bus and brutally attacked by three people when he was on his way to school to write an exam in Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, on Monday (March 10).
The Srivainkuntam police in Thoothukudi district have arrested and filed a case against three suspects, including two minors from Kettiyammalpuram.
According to media reports, the assailants were allegedly triggered by the victim, Devendran Raj, 17, winning a kabaddi match, which was something they could not tolerate.
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Brutal attack
The three suspects blocked the bus at a crossing, dragged Raj out of it and attacked him and his father Thanga Ganesh, a daily wage labourer.
The attackers cut Raj's four fingers and inflicted six deep gashes on his head with multiple cuts on his back. His father was also reportedly attacked on the head.
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Raj is currently in a critical condition at the Tirunelveli Government Hospital after being moved from Srivaikundam Government Hospital. So far, three fingers have been surgically reattached, but one finger is still missing.
VCK chief demands justice
VCK Chief, Thol Thirumavalavan, condemned the attack and urged the Tamil Nadu government to provide the best of medical care for Raj and to enforce a special police intelligence unit with a special task force (STF) made to prevent caste-based violence. He mentioned that such forms of caste-based violence are regularly happening in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi.
Family alleges caste violence
Raj’s family alleged that the suspects are from a dominant caste and acted in retaliation for a recent kabaddi match, where the talented youngster played a key role in defeating a team from their caste.
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The victim's father told reporters, “Three men, who belonged to the Thevar community from the next village, attacked him. This is a caste-related crime. We are from the SC (Scheduled Caste) community.”
Raj’s uncle, Suresh, also echoed the sentiment alleging that the accused were loitering nearby for three days and must be arrested. “We are from the SC community and nobody wants us to come up in life. He was studying well. Why do they hate us coming up in life? They were all studying Class 11. Someone, working behind the scenes, has given them courage to act this way,” he said.