After 10 year under Section 144, TN village holds first panchayat meet

After a decade, members of two conflicting groups shook hands, sat next to each other, and participated in the Gram Sabha procedures

Pandiyankuppam, near Chinnasalem in the Kallakurichi district, recently witnessed a celebratory gathering of its villagers not seen in more than a decade, due to the imposition of Section 144. The town grabbed the spotlight on May 1, when it held its first Gram Sabha meeting in nearly 11 years, reported The Hindu. The last meeting was conducted in 2012, when the hamlet was a part of the larger Villupuram district.

After years of conflict, members of the two groups shook hands, sat next to each other, and participated in the Gram Sabha procedures. The local administration’s and Directorate of Rural Development’s tireless efforts to cease the hostilities were the most binding force in this project.

The MBCs, Schedule Castes, and Arunthathiyars are the three communities that make up Pandiyankuppam. Since 2012, disputes between the MBC and the SC representatives in regard to them have virtually prevented Gram Sabha sessions, which are conducted four times annually, from making decisions intended to benefit all parties.

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Sellamuthu, a resident, recalled that trouble erupted during the festival of the Mariamman temple on July 30, 2012. “There was a dispute between the two communities over the right to pull the chariot of the presiding deity. This led to heated arguments. Though the festival ended peacefully that evening, the dispute spilt into a cultural programme organised on the occasion, resulting in skirmishes. With the dispute refusing to die down, the district administration invoked Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to prevent the trouble from escalating,” he stated.

The confrontations intensified when police pickets were placed. The administration was helpless as both parties insisted on their rights despite the fact that peace negotiations were also undertaken in the meantime to bring about calm. The administration repeatedly interfered as a result issuing 36 prohibitory orders over the course of the previous 11 years.

After the most recent local body elections, Shanmugam, who was chosen to be the head of Pandiyankuppam panchayat, adopted a neutral stance. He emphasised the significance of the Gram Sabha and the necessity of its effective operations for growth. Both sides agreed to reach a peaceful resolution.

The Gram Sabha has not met in Pandiyankuppam for the previous 11 years due to tensions between the two communities, according to the report from the government, said Kallakurichi Collector Sravan Kumar Jatavath in an interview with The Hindu. “We conducted several rounds of peace talks and highlighted what the village was losing out in the absence of a functional Gram Sabha. The official machinery checked with the residents on the requirements of the panchayat and offered to lift the prohibitory orders if they arrived at a compromise,” he stated.

To establish communication, both parties participated in the meetings. The locals were educated enough to understand the significance of the Gram Sabha by the authorities. The prohibitory orders were then withdrawn, and the first Gram Sabha meeting in 11 years was conducted on May 1, the Collector said.