Declare victims of 1978 V'puram violence martyrs

12 people from SC community, mainly hawkers, labourers, were killed

- KRITHIKA SRINIVASAN @ Villupuram

IN a demand for justice and recognition, Dalit residents of Valudareddy, GRP street and other parts of Dalit residential areas in Villupuram have called upon the Tamil Nadu government to officially declare the 12 victims of the 1978 Villupuram caste violence as martyrs.

Their demand comes in the wake of the recent inauguration of a memorial for martyrs who died in police firing in 1987 Vanniyar reservation protest in the district. VCK General Secretary and Villupuram MP D Ravikumar has publicly urged the government to validate the agency of Dalits in the history of this land.

The caste violence in Villupuram, which occurred on July 25, 1978, was allegedly a brutal and premeditated attack by caste Hindus on the Dalit community, that killed 12 people from the Schedule Caste community who were mainly hawkers and labourers. The people who were killed were identified as Mani Kundu, Selvaraj, Mannangatti, Veerappan, Thirumal, Kathavarayan, Ramasamy, Arumugam, Sakthi, Rangasamy, Sekar, and Irusammal.