KANDADEVI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA, 25 June, 2005: After the Madras High Court ruling, for the first time in eight years, Dalits in this southern Tamil Nadu hamlet got to push the 300-year-old ornate chariot that bears a Lord Siva murthi (icon) recently. However, police sneaked in over 25 Dalits who were acceptable to the upper caste Thevar leaders, while arresting leading Dalit activists. Dalits had been barred from the festival in recent years after the upper-caste Thevars and local Nattars objected to their participation, leading to caste clashes in the region. With Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa not wanting to risk a caste clash in this Sivaganga district village, about 400 km from Chennai, district authorities and state police ensured that the court directive was followed only in letter by handpicking 25 Dalits, mostly Kandadevi local body staff and owing allegiance to the AIADMK, to pull the chariot.
The CPI(M), which petitioned the high court over the issue, termed the incident a “mockery of the Dalit participation.” Dalit leaders were taken into preventive custody ahead of the festival. Anxious to prevent trouble, police from surrounding districts had thrown a security cordon around the village before the festival began. Police quietly sneaked in 25 Dalits who were acceptable to the upper castes before the procession began. When the festival began 15 minutes before schedule, policemen in plainclothes ushered the Dalits through the crowd that had gathered to the chariot. After the chariot began to roll, the Dalits were taken back to the temple. They were led out furtively after the village had emptied out.
“Everything went off peacefully,” said K Kesavamani, who was “allowed” to participate. “They (the Thevars) allowed us to pull the chariot,” he said. However, it was totally a Thevar show. Although district authorities had distributed handbills and put up posters asking everyone to participate there were no men and youth to be found in the hamlet’s Dalit colonies yesterday morning. Dalits from surrounding villages were prevented from entering the village while their leaders were taken into custody.