Following the police firing on protesting Dalits at Paramakudi of Ramanathapuram district, Ilayangudi of Sivaganga district, Chinthamani of Madurai district (Southern Tamilnadu) on September 11, a CPIML fact-finding team visited the three districts on 19-20 September. The team visited all the victims’ villages, hospitals, police stations, offices of the Superintendent and Collector, and the places at Paramakudi and Ilayangudi, where firing took place. Members of the fact finding team included Balasundaram, State Secretary, CPIML, T Sankarapandian, State Vice-President AICCTU, Auvudaiappan, State Council Member, AIALA, Divya, State Committee Member of AISA, C Mathivanan, District Leading Team Secretary, Madurai, Jeeva, District in-charge, Sivagangai district, K G Desigan, Editorial Team Member of Orumaipadu (Solidarity).

September 11th is the 54th death anniversary of Emmanuel Sekaran, a dalit activist brutally killed by upper caste hirelings in 1957. His burial place is in Paramakudi. He is revered as a martyr by the Dalit people of Southern Tamil Nadu. Every year on September 11, Dalit people and organizations rally in large numbers at his memorial.

The AIADMK Government led by Jayalalitha declared the death anniversary of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar (leader of Mukkulathore community Kallar, Maravar and Agamudaiyar) as an official Government function. As a natural corollary, Dalit people and organizations also demanded that Emmanuel Sekaran’s death anniversary also be declared as a Government function. An AIADMK contestant even promised to meet this demand in the last Assembly elections.

Our Findings

The firing is a premeditated conspiracy to stop the death anniversary celebrations of dalit leader Emmanuel Sekaran and smash the dalits’ political mobilization and assertion. Entry to dalit leaders to this district was banned in the name of law and order conditions, leading to protests, which were then fired upon.

One Appa Nadu Maravar Sangham dispatched an anonymous letter to their community people to assemble to stop the Emmanuel ‘Guru Puja’ from taking place. The police took no action to avert or punish this move.

On September 9 at 12.45 in the night, a school boy of Pallappachery named Palanikumar was killed by some people of the Mukukkulathore community, on the pretext that he had supposedly scribbled denigrating remarks on the walls of Manickamandalam village. This incident was probably expected to result in violent Dalit protests, providing a pretext to stop the Emmanuel memorial function. But this ploy failed.

In another act of provocation, the police arrested TMMK (Thamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam) leader John Pandian at Thuthukudi, 133km away from Paramakudi on the plea that his entry to Ramanathapuram district to attend the Emmanuel function and meet the family of Palanikumar would escalate tension.

John Pandian’s supporters gathered to protest his arrest, and staged a road block at five-point junction at Paramakudi. The number of agitated dalit youth was less than 500. The strength of the police force was around 4000, with several DIGs, SPs, ASPs and DSPs present. The shooting spree happened from 12.30 pm to 5.30 pm. The police version that the situation went out of control is blatantly false and concocted.

Old people aged 60 and above, and passers-by were shot dead in the firing. Ganesan of Pallavanethal village, Panchayat secretary AIADMK, who went to Paramakudi to distribute his son’s marriage invitations was killed. Vellaichami (65) of Kakkanethal who was to catch bus for Madurai, was killed. Chinnan of the same age and village, who accompanied Vellaichamy, sustained injuries but was rescued by a woman. He had to walk 15 kms to reach his village. Veerambal Panner (about 55), a dalit Christian, was shot at in his forehead when he came to take his daughter to hospital. Jeyapal (Amar), aged just 21 was shot at point-blank range in the forehead. His 18-year-old wife Gayathri is about to give birth to a child. Keezhakodumalur Theerpukani, first year diploma student was killed in the firing.

At Ilayangudi, en route to Paramakudi, between 2-4 pm, Ilayangudi DSP Ilango of Agramaseri, belonging to the Maravar community, opened fire without any provocation on 25 youths who had tried to organize a road blockade to protest Pandian’s arrest and the Paramakudi firing. This spot is within 50 to 60 yards from the police station. A school boy, Anand, was not part of the agitation, was hit by a bullet in his right palm as he kneeled down, raising his hands in defence. Here, different cases were foisted on more than two hundred young dalit people including women.

Cases were foisted on more than 1000 people. One Palani who returned home after cancer treatment was arrested and sent to jail! Family members had to run pillar to post to know the whether their family members are in the hospitals or not. More than 75 critically injured were denied proper treatment. In most of the hospitals doctors were not present. Even in Paramakudi hospital there were instructions not to attend the patients. Only after High Court intervention some improvement could be seen.

A callous Jayalalitha displayed her anti-dalit bias by justifying the firing. Home Minister P Chidambaram who was in the Sivagangai district visited an injured DIG but failed to visit the victims. Another central minister Azhagiri also not visited the victims.

Our Demands

Holding the home portfolio, the Chief Minister must own political responsibility for the firing. The senior police officials, particularly DIG Santib Pattile, Commissioner Senthil Velan, DSP Ilango, Inspector Sivakumar, and the Ramanathapuram district SP must be suspended immediately. An enquiry commission headed by a sitting judge of the high court must be announced. All the false cases must be withdrawn. The dalits’ demand of announcing Emmanuel Sekaran’s death anniversary as a government function must be met. Compensation of Rs 25 lakhs be paid to the bereaved families, with a government job to a family member and free rations, Sec 144 must be lifted forthwith and democratic rights must be restored.