New forms of untouchability (Express News Service)
“‘Other’ chairs in barber shops, bar on wearing polyester dhoties, opposition to rear pedigree pets and postmen not knocking on their doors are some of the new forms of untouchability that SCs in rural Tamil Nadu face, even today.
“A survey conducted by the CPM-backed Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front over the past seven to eight years has revealed that Dalits living in various parts of the State are subjected to different forms of inhuman discrimination.
“‘We have identified 80 forms of untouchability, apart from 23 forms of atrocities prevailing in Tamil Nadu,’ P Sampath, State Convener of the Front, told newspersons in Chennai on Thursday.
“‘Dalits in Aandarkottaram and Thaniamangalam villages falling under Melur Panchayat Union in Madurai district have to go to the post office to collect letters or money orders as postmen won’t step into Dalit colonies.
“‘Similarly, Schedule Caste people in Velayudhapuram village in Thoothukudi district don’t have the right to rear pedigree dogs.’ Some other unusual practices that figure in the report include disallowing Dalits to ride bicycles and bullock carts, keeping separate almirahs for stacking Dalit clothes at laundries, ban on bursting crackers during temple festivals, refusing permission to watch shows on public panchayat television sets and forcing Arunthathiyar students to clean toilets in schools.
“Refusal to call Dalits with ‘respectable’ terms in their names is another common practise – in names like Madasamy and Munniyasamy, the ‘samy’ is omitted and they are called Madan or Munni.
“Some of the cruelties identified are feeding Dalits with human faeces, sexual abuse and foisting of false cases. When the survey was presented to district collectors, they categorically denied existence of any such discrimination.
“Sampath said, ‘Perhaps, police are hand in glove with dominant communities.’”
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