Chennai: Overnight violence unleashed on a Dalit settlement by caste Hindus from neighbouring villages left a few houses burnt, household properties and public propertysuch as the sintex water tanks damaged at Nallur village near Kalpakkam, 70 km from the city on Friday.
The violence was a result of a verbal duel between four persons from the neighbouring village over Vinayakar Chaturthi celebrations by Dalit villagers there, police said.
At least nine persons including seven women from Nallur village suffered grievous injuries in the attack and are undergoing treatment at Chengelpet Government Hospital.
Kancheepuram District police have arrested 11 persons from the nearby Natham village, mostly caste Hindus, according to police sources.
Tension at Nallur village as 100 men descend with logs
On Friday morning, preparations were underway at Nallur village for the festival celebrations when a group of four men on two bikes sped through the crowd. Police had flagged the bikes and questioned them for riding rashly when public were gathered and reportedly assaulted the four men, police sources said.
Later in the night, over 100 men, armed with iron rods and wooden logs descended on the Nallur dalit settlements and started assaulting people. “Household items were strewn on the floor. Electricity supply was cut off to the neighbourhood,” a police officer said.
Police teams rushed to the scene on information and the village was fortified since then. On Saturday morning, the Tahsildar visited the village to take stock of the situation when the villagers rounded the official and demanded immediate action against the attackers.
Kancheepuram Superintendent of Police, Santosh Hadimani told DC that around 11 persons have been arrested so far. Police have booked about 32 persons under various sections including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of atrocities) act. Police personnel have been stationed at the village to prevent any untoward incident.
