Namakkal, July 20, 2013: Tension prevailed for close to five hours on the Namakkal - Rasipuram State Highway at Thuthikulam Panchayat on Friday as more than 100 Dalits, including women and children, blocked the road alleging that Caste Hindus denied them entry into a local temple to take part in the festival.

The police and revenue officials told The Hinduthat the protest was a result of miscommunication between the two groups. A few Dalits went to the Maariamman temple on Friday. The Caste Hindus were also waiting outside the temple for the homam performed there to end, the police said.

Three temple office-bearers, who were assisting the ritual and purohits, were the only persons inside the temple. “All the devotees were asked to wait for sometime for the ritual to come to an end. Apparently misunderstanding this, the Dalits were agitated, mobilised more persons from nearby villages and staged the protest,” the officials said.

Superintendent of Police P. Kannammal, Revenue Division Officer (in-charge) of Namakkal Division M. Balasubramaniam and Deputy Superintendent of Police (Namakkal) P. Annamalai and other police and revenue officials spoke to the agitators and brought the protest to an end.

It was then decided that the Caste Hindus would first offer prayers, followed by the Dalits as more than 500 persons thronged the place. The Dalits were agitated once again when they were allowed to enter the compound but not the temple. Caste Hindus too were not allowed into the temple on Friday as it was believed that the idol would lose power if anyone other than the purohits entered the temple, the police said.

Refusing to accept this explanation, the Dalits blocked the road again.

They cleared the road and offered prayers after a few more rounds of talks.

Ms. Kannammal said that about 100 police personnel from Namakkal and Salem districts were mobilised to ensure that the situation was under control.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 20, 2013.