As Chandru's report gathers dust, no end to caste attacks

The state witnessed the gruesome violence of a Class 11 student from a Scheduled Caste getting hacked by his schoolmates from intermediate castes in Thoothukudi district.

- SUBASHINI VIJAYAKUMAR @ Chennai

ON Monday, the state witnessed the gruesome violence of a Class 11 student from a Scheduled Caste getting hacked by his schoolmates from intermediate castes in Thoothukudi district.

This was eerily similar to the brutal attack on a Class 12 Dalit student from neighbouring Tirunelveli district in August 2023, which not only caused statewide outrage but also led to the state government appointing Justice (retd) K Chandru in a one-man commission to recommend measures to prevent caste-based differences in educational institutions.

Despite recurring incidents, the voluminous report submitted by Justice Chandru nine months ago to the government seems to gather dust.

Justice Chandru, in a recent interaction with TNIE, had lamented that the state government has not even responded to say whether it has studied the report and whether it is accepting the recommendations in full or in part.