SC homes attacked as caste clashes erupt during temple festival at village in Pudukkottai

The Hindu

06-05-2025

The police booked 15 individuals from the caste Hindu community — 13 of whom have been arrested.
Clashes erupted between villagers belonging to the Most Backward Community (MBC) and the Scheduled Caste (SC) at Vadakadu in Pudukkottai district on Monday night, resulting in arson.
The hut of a 58-year-old woman, S. Mallika, and three two-wheelers were allegedly set ablaze by some MBC members in Thiruvalluvar Nagar, an SC hamlet.
Seven houses were vandalised; two cars were damaged; and the window pane of a government bus was shattered during the violence, which broke out during the annual Muthumariamman temple festival in the village. A police constable, Muthukrishnan, from the Vadakadu police station, also sustained injuries.
The police booked 15 individuals from the caste Hindu community — 13 of whom have been arrested. Five SC villagers have also been booked, one of whom has been arrested. The charges include rioting, unlawful assembly, and provisions under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The SC villagers have additionally been charged with carrying weapons and indulging in violence.
Twelve SC members and eight MBC members are being treated at the Alangudi Government Hospital and Pudukkottai Government Medical College and Hospital. The villagers said that an altercation between teenagers and youth from the two communities escalated into the violence.
The two sides gave conflicting versions of how the incident was triggered. Between 9. 30 p.m. and 11. 30 p.m., over 400 caste Hindu men reportedly entered the SC hamlet and began vandalising property. The situation was brought under control after Pudukkottai Superintendent of Police Abhishek Gupta and Law Minister S. Regupathy visited the village late in the night.
Thiruvalluvar Nagar, home to about 150 families, is the only SC hamlet in a panchayat comprising 17 smaller settlements – 15 of which belong to a dominant MBC community. At the centre of the conflict is access to and participation in religious rituals at the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments-administered Muthumariamman temple. SC residents said there had been a long-standing caste-based discrimination, and that the recent violence was rooted in a deeper social exclusion.
They flagged their exclusion from participating in rituals at the Muthumariamman temple, including mandakapadi — a symbolic ritual involving the hoisting of a white umbrella (venkudai attam) and display of sacred weapons such as aruvas. They contend that they have been repeatedly sidelined in temple affairs by dominant caste groups despite holding multiple protests and participating in peace talks, the latest of which was held in April.
'Not allowed to host events'
'We are not even allowed to host our events in the temple hall, despite contributing money,' R. Porselvam said. 'Others pay a fixed temple tax for infrastructure, but we are told to make donations. Even then, we are excluded. Besides, a legal dispute over the ownership of the Adaikkalam Katha Ayyanar temple located on a poramboke land is pending before the Alangudi court since 2015. We have been sidelined in both temples,' Sethupathy M., another resident, said.
The violence reportedly flared up after SC teenagers tried to touch a chariot rope during the procession. 'They were subjected to caste slurs...The halting of the chariot, which usually happens at 7 p.m., was delayed to 10 p.m. That was when the attack happened,' Mr. Sethupathy alleged.
SC residents further said that police presence was minimal during the early stages of the clash. 'When we called for an ambulance, we were told that it could not arrive due to the ongoing violence. One of our people who tried to take an injured person to a nearby primary health centre was followed, and his motorbike was torched in front of the hospital...,' a villager said. Several SC residents who spoke to The Hindu were concerned over their safety as they are in minority in the region.
However, members of the MBC, including Muthumariamman temple trustees Senguttuvan R. and Devaraj K., said the incident stemmed from tensions around temple traditions.
'They never had mandakapadi rights in our temple before. Only recently have they started to make such demands...Even the Ayyanar temple they refer to stands on the land that belonged to our forefathers...,' Mr. Senguttuvan said. They alleged that some SC youths, influenced by political groups, triggered the unrest. 'We have always been inclusive. There has never been any discrimination in Vadakadu,' Mr. Devaraj added.
In a release, the Pudukkottai police said the clashes began as a verbal dispute involving intoxicated youth from both communities. However, members from both communities dismissed this version.
A police officer told The Hindu that all possible angles were being examined in the probe.