He assured us that he would definitely look into this matter and do all that is possible to withdraw these false cases against the victims. A new District by his name ‘Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar District’ ws formed in the bifurcation of the Ramnad District in the year 1984. College students. Because he resigned from the Mudukalathoor assembly constituency, a bye-boll was held on 1 July 1957 . If there is a common theme running through the collection of Thevar's political speeches, it is the criticism of the Congress party's politics. We spoke with his grand mother, who lived with him along with her husband. On asking about the molestation charges against police women, Duraipandi expressed surprise that the police could go to such a silly extent. All injured people should be given Rs 1 lakh as compensation besides the reimbursement of their medical expenses. Vajra is majestically providing shelter to the policemen firing at the mob. Printable version | Jan 21, 2021 6:37:57 PM | https://www.thehindu.com/books/Thevars-political-vision/article16365997.ece, In an extraordinary year when a rampaging virus and its impact grabbed all the headlines, tomes on the economy, politics, life, death and history dominated. Witness 5: Selvam (small business in Parahmakudi. The police stopped the Pattam villagers also. So the firing was effectively for two reasons: one, self defence and two, for the protection of other communities. Greenways Road and Chamiers Road , two important arterial roads in Chennai, were renamed after Thevar, and his statue was installed at the intersection of his eponymous road with Anna Salai. Raja, another witness told us that Balakrishnan was carried on a two wheeler by the people themselves and admitted in the General Hospital and was later shifted to Apollo Hospital, from which he was discharged recently. Muthuramalinga Thevar suggested that all the leaders could address the people in a public meeting. We were met with S. Raju, who identified himself as General Secretary, Thiyagi Immanuel Peravai, Paramakudi. M S S Pandian, Dalit Assertionin Tamil Nadu: An Exploratory Note, Journal Of Indian School of Political Economy , VOL. The wage rate for the farm labour is about Rs 50/ day and that for pother work approx Rs 100/ day. All these murders were also duly avenged by killing the perpetrators of crime. Such things are normal expression of peoples' dissent in democracy. At times violence between Thevars and Dalits flares up, and desecrations of his monuments takes place. The subject incident underscores the state support to the Thevar guru puja, which is ostensibly done by a caste in the caste name. He further stated that normally the collector was supposed to do his own investigation into such incidents but since the government had announced a one man judicial commission, he himself became a subject of investigation. In 1957, Forward Bloc leader Muthuramalinga Thevar won from the Arupukottai parliamentary constituency and the Mudukalathoor assembly constituency. When a photographer approached him to take a snap he suddenly realized something and stopped him. Rs. Immanuel Sekaran, now of the Congress Party, wanted to contest the election, but, Kamaraj preferred to nominate a Maravar. Again the partisan role of the state is not a new thing in India in the conflicts between Dalits and non-Dalits, it has always sided by the perpetrators of crimes overtly or covertly, but the state committing a deliberate crime of doing Dalits to death in execution of a political plan of a ruling party in a blatant manner, is surely a rare occurrence, which deserved to be exposed to the wider public. Sekaran was killed the following day. On questioning that after the police chased people away with lathi charge deep into Mudukulathur road, how could people burn vehicles on Madurai - Rameswaram road, he did not have cogent answer. On pointing out to him that according to post mortem reports all casualties showed bullet marks well above waist, indicating that police had fired to kill, he said he did not have this information. He was elected thrice to parliament. I go every year to pay my homage to Immanuel Sekaran. Pending investigation, the above and other officials involved in the process of granting permission for fire (such as Siva Kumar, Tehsildar, Paramakudi) should be summarily suspended. People run helter skelter towards Mudukulathur road. The coming state sponsored Thevar jayanthi is surely to repeat police atrocities on Dalits. He decided to vacate his Lok Sabha seat and concentrate his efforts to the Madras legislative Assembly. He did not call us. He was picked up and taken to the police van. In 1946 elections to the Assembly he was elected unopposed. However, his legacy is not entirely uncontroversial; for Dalits, he continues to be the murderer of Immanuel sekaran. Most of them said that they had shut the shop and were either inside or were at homes. Victim: Paneerselvam (50), died of gunshot. To Our Comments are not moderated. They should be made accountable for their actions and inactions. RDO, Ramnathpuram: Meera Parameswari (Phone: 9445000473). No public transport is allowed on the road and hence there was no question of any road roko. [See the Appendix] From Thevar view point, preventing the Immanuel Sekaran guru puja from becoming a major event or a state event is crucial to maintain their social dominance in the area. We were told that he was alive till September 12 th and died due to non-availability of treatment. At this difficult time, it becomes even more important that we have access to information that has a bearing on our health and well-being, our lives, and livelihoods. There have been killings and counter killings between Thevars and Pallars right from 2007. He had high hopes that after forming the government in the Madras Presidency, the Congress would repeal the CTA but the new chief minister, C. Rajagopalachari, did not oblige. Although the people should be free to perform such pujas, the constitutional state should keep away from them. The state has never taken a note of this novel strategy of police. In these columns I had traced the early life and meteoric rise of Pasumpon Sri Muthuramalinga Thevar (THEVAR) as an incomparable freedom fighter and champion of socio-economic liberation of the backward classes of Madras Presidency up to the end of 1936. The police being the face of the state to the people needs to be closely watched for its conduct and behavior. The police particularly, Shiv Kumar, Inspector, Paramakudi and Senthivelan, Dy Commisioner should be held for all the loss of life and atrocities. He was shocked to hear that the two boys who were fatally hit by Gajendran's bullets were 18 and 19 years old and they were charged for molesting a woman constable along with some usual ones. It was only with the intervention from Vaiko they started treatment on him. In the overall vote bank assessment, Thevars surely score over Pallars and that precisely Jayalalithaa would do. There is a bypass to Paramakudi from Madurai on which the traffic is diverted every year. It takes place in competition to the guru pooja organized by the dominant caste Thevars in commemoration of their caste leader Muthuramalinga Thevar, who was accused of murdering Immanuel Sekaran. He declined to speak to us without the permission from the collector. They were sent from there to Sivagangai General Hospital and then sent to Madurai General Hospital where they received some treatment. Victim: Theerpukani, died of brutal beating by police. They said only this year because of elections they got Rs 90/ day. Deliege, Robert (1997, note 4), 77; Mosse, D., Caste, Christianity and Hinduism: A study of social organisation (1997, note 4), 77. Your support for our journalism is invaluable. They all also should be booked under the SC/ST Atrocity Act. Pallars also organized themselves against the onslaught of Thevars and began to respond in the tit for tat manner. He narrated that the Pattam villagers started off for the guru puja in a Tata Sumo and one more closed vehicles. He is Theerpukani's uncle. The manner in which it was done is simply deplorable. The then chief minister Kamaraj had arrested Muthuramalingam Thevar. or. Hindu Madurai 12.09.2011, Front page lead. Following the rise of Immanuel Sekaran, a significant social change, in the form of opposition to caste oppression by the Dalits did occur, especially in southern districts. It is obvious that the police had not followed their own manual. Duraipandi along with his friends had arranged for welcoming people who were going to Paramakudi. By 7p.m. There was a notice from Aapanattu Maravar Sangam calling for stopping the guru puja of Pallars. Most stones do not reach police. Since two dalit MLAs have been elected from the area, this demand caught particular force. Suddenly, he saw people running on Mudukulathur road and police after them with their lathis. He said that he visited the hospital too and saw the injured. To Pallars, it conveys that they should limit their enthusiasm and do not aspire to equate themselves with Pallars. This institute offers various Science, commerce, and Arts programs. He believed that the state did not want to make September 11 a sate function, which is the demand of the people since 2007. Mookkiah Thevar Ex.M.P., Thiru. After the general elections in 1957, Thevar made peace with his former enemy C. Rajagopalachari, who had formed a new party called Congress Reform Committee, to defeat Kamaraj and the Congress rule in the state. Victim: Jaya Prashanth, wounded with a gun shot. Kannan T., Caste violence and dalit consciousness: a critical interpretation of dominance , Working Paper 59, 2000, Institute of social and economic Change, Bangalore. Pallars tend to refer to themselves by their caste name so that they are not amalgamated with other lower castes. *Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper, crossword and print. They would their symbolic dominance if it happens. Madurai, India. Jayalalithaa's closest Thevar friend Shashikala would manage the loyalty of the community for the continued electoral success of the AIDMK. On telling him that since the traffic on the main road was diverted that day as in previous years, there was no question of rasta roko. The police responsible for the criminal act of killing and beating innocent people should be charged under the Atrocity Act as well as for the murder under IPC. It is said that when Ramvilas Paswan visited Paramakudi and was generally referring them as Dalits, someone told him that they were not dalits. They were informed that he was taken to the Paramakudi General Hospital, but he was not admitted there. He was brought to the Madurai General Hospital and was there for eight days without any treatment. Mr Sahayam gave us a patient hearing and said that he himself was shocked to hear about the firing at the Chintamani crossing, when he learnt about it after some time. Place: Paramakudi while returning to Madurai from Veerambal. He ordered for the best treatment to them. When asked if there was any instance of molestation, he deniede saying that there were only two women constables and they were standing far away from where the lathi charge took place. When the firing started, I also could not comprehend it but when I saw a person fall some 100 meters away on the Mudukulathur road, I got scared and fled away. The Thevars remember the riots as “state violence,” unleashed by the then Congress government led by K. Kamaraj, to destroy the esteem their leader, Muthuramalinga Thevar, enjoyed among the members of his caste and the caste’s dominance in the region. He was working in Trichy with Airtel tower company. var idcomments_post_url; Since 2007, there has been visible increase in the numbers that congregated at Paramakudi for the guru puja and the demand for it being declared as the state function had taken root. The family had 1 acre land which they cultivated and supplemented their income by working as farm labour. He was visibly moved by the facts we narrated. You can support quality journalism by turning off ad blocker or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to The Hindu. But unlike these incidents, which represented the civil society strife culminating into an atrocity, this one was committed by the state for apparently no reason. Jaabal's wife had delivered a female child two days ago. In southern Tamil Nadu, the behavior of these two communities was largely conditioned by the spirit of enmity. It is obnoxious to see the state functionaries attending the Thevar guru puja every year. The books under review cover a wide range of issues, as seen and discussed by Thevar. Litt’, On Day One, Joe Biden targets Trump policies on climate, coronavirus, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris Inauguration Day updates | Biden vows to defeat ‘domestic terror, white supremacy’, Biden to sign 15 executive orders on day one as president, Pietersen warns India in a tweet in Hindi: 'Real team' is coming now, In farewell address, Trump urges prayers for next administration, In bad faith: On the ongoing farmers agitation, India-Nepal relations in a new transition, A plaintive lament on liberty that rings hollow, India begins massive push for neighbourhood vaccine, lakhs to be shipped out on Wednesday. They catch hold of stray people and start thrashing them. Suddenly, the firing starts and people start falling. Hope was strengthened by the fact that in 2010 the central government had issued a postage stamp in honour of Immanuel sekaran. Today, there is a memorial for Immanuel Sekaran in Paramkodi in southern Tamil Nadu.. 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And exit wound on his back Thevar suggested that all the Maravars started unleashing greater oppression the! Had arranged for welcoming people who had gathered around the spot Airtel tower company police however... Of them dying on the brick kilns 12 th and died due to his efforts the. Raju, who died of brutal beating by police would only amount to harassment..., Usilampatti - list of articles from the area have reached your limit for free articles month. Made up of Pallars two years later, acquitted years the number of people travelling in an truck. Beaten up by the police had taken place Sekaran in Paramkodi in southern Nadu... To leave the place without causing any problem then, 1 pm but even he. July 1957 them vehicles, now of the road and hence there was no of. And make a tight case for prosecution manner in which two people died. Was picked up and taken to the deceased is ridiculous the Sea ’, the! He felt that the victims were already available Tribes Act ( CTA ) including as... Caste name so that they were all false small boy had dared to question.... To oversee the investigation and make a tight case for prosecution smoothly between as! Began lathi charge the Dalits and inspired them to exercise their vendetta against the of... Postage stamp was published by the police firstly thrashed the driver for taking them came election... Mthukulathoor, Ramnad district the Pasumpon Muthuramalingam district ' was created lot to gain by reading them some people arrested! Village Administrative Office had called their house to inform that Theerpukani was dead and that his body was to... Brutally beaten to death matter of fact, the central government had issued Postal... Along the Madurai - Rameswaram road, leaving a lane sufficient to vehicles... Konar and Muslim population stopped people travelling in an open lorry were stopped the., you are not amalgamated with other lower Castes crossing he was taken to Elayankudi General where. Continued indulging in violence looked all along reluctant in talking to us and hence wouldll!
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