Cops helping caste Hindus, denying access to land during fest: Dalits

AFTER police placed barricades around a government land in Kurinjakulam village, people from Scheduled Caste community alleged that police have once again bowed to pressure from the dominant caste people to prevent them from using the land during their temple festival which began on Tuesday.

- Thinakaran Rajamani @ Tirunelveli

Until 2019, during the annual Sudalai Madasamy temple festival, people from SC communities used to organise music and folk dance programmes on the land. They have since been stopped by officials from using the land allegedly following objections from the dominant caste people.