Chennai: The state government has informed the Madras high court that it has sanctioned Rs 1.80 lakh each to six families whose huts were allegedly burnt by caste Hindus on November 26, 2014, in Kolliruppu village near the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) in Cuddalore district.
A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M.M. Sundresh, while closing a petition from advocate D. Ashok Kumar, urged the authorities to act promptly on rehabilitation. Petitioner’s counsel S. Sathia Chandran submitted that on November 26, NLC conducted a class on safety for contract workers when some caste Hindus created a disturbance.
A Dalit woman protested and was attacked. Her complaint led to a case being registered and some caste Hindus being arrested. This, in turn, led to caste Hindus setting fire to the huts of the Dalits. After perusing the status report filed by the Cuddalore collector, the bench said the unfortunate incident was due to a dispute between the members of the SC community and the Vanniyars.
What was unfortunate to note was that despite the socio-economic backwardness, communities were fighting among themselves rather than seeking education and empowerment. In the process, one person suffered burn injuries and was admitted to the NLC hospital, the bench added.
As for the compensation determined at Rs1.80 lakh to the persons who had suffered grievous injuries, the bench called upon the authorities to look into this matter expeditiously and take a decision keeping in mind the nature of injuries suffered.
