In six districts of Tamil Nadu, 159 villages inhabited by the Arundathiyar community reportedly do not have access to burial grounds, forcing families to bury the dead, on roadsides, lakeshores and other distant areas.
According to organisations including the Dalit Liberation Movement, the affected districts are Dindigul, Theni, Karur, Villupuram, Tiruppur and Tiruvannamalai. In some villages, though cemeteries exist, there are no proper roads to reach them. Community leaders said that opposition from other sections has also resulted in denial of burial space.
Dalit Liberation Movement leader Karuppiah said incidents of violence against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were common in Tamil Nadu and noted that refusal of burial rights was particularly painful. He recalled that in Veeralur village of Tiruvannamalai district, about 360 Arundathiyar families had come under attack two years ago after they opposed carrying a Dalit body through public roads. “The same situation continues in many districts even today,” he said, demanding the Chief Minister’s intervention to ensure proper crematorium facilities.
Despite repeated complaints made to Adi Dravidar Welfare Minister N. Kayalvizhi Selvaraj and senior officials, activists claimed no solution had been implemented so far.
Responding to the issue, an official from the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department said that under schemes similar to the Samathuvapuram model, public crematoriums for Scheduled Castes were being planned across rural areas. He added that district collectors were inspecting land availability and that steps were underway to provide common burial and cremation facilities for marginalised sections.
(With inputs from Dinamalar)
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