No end to caste clashes among students as Chandru's report gathers dust

THOOTHUKUDI, on Monday,witnessed the gruesome incident of a Class 11 Dalit student, who was on his way to school in a bus, being attacked with sharp weapons by his schoolmates from intermediate castes.

- SUBASHINI VIJAYAKUMAR @ Chennai

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 state-wide outrage but also led to the state government appointing Justice (retd) K Chandru to head 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 seems to be gathering 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.