Tamil Nadu temple sealed after dominant caste refused entry to Dalits

Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday sealed a temple in Melpathi village in Villupuram district after peace talks between members of the dominant caste and Scheduled Caste (SC) over the latter’s entry into the complex failed to yield any result.

The dispute arose after members of the SC community alleged that they were not being allowed inside the Sri Dharmaraja Draupadi Amman Temple in the district by Vanniyars, who form majority in the village. The district administration made several attempts to bring peace by ensuring that Dalits enter the temple, but in vain.

Though the temple is managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, Vanniyars in the village control the temple’s day-to-day affairs. The peace talks failed as Vanniyars were adamant in their stand that Dalits can worship the deity from outside but not enter the temple.

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As all efforts failed during the last round of talks in May, S Ravichandran, Villupuram Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), along with senior officials came to the village on Wednesday morning and sealed the temple.

“The temple has been sealed to prevent any possible breakdown of law and order. The action has been taken under Section 145(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC),” a senior official told DH.

He explained that Section 145 of the CrPC empowers the magistrate to act if he is convinced of the probability of a breach of the peace, either by a police report or other information. The issue began in April when Dalits were attacked by Vanniyars for attempting to enter the temple during the annual festival, leading to tensions between the two communities.

Villupuram MP D Ravikumar told DH that the government should ensure that the right to worship of every community is respected and implemented. “The villagers have petitioned the HR&CE to appoint trustees for the temple and take over its day-to-day affairs and sought help from police to ensure that they are allowed to go inside the temple and worship. The government should implement their demands,” he added.