Shalin Maria Lawrence, who identifies herself as a ‘Dalit Christian writer’ and an ‘anti-caste activist’ has been threatened by RK Nagar DMK MLA J.J. Ebenezer for a social media post against him in which she alleged that he forced a corporation worker to clean the sewer.
Earlier, the incident involving a man digging a drain with his bare hands in front of a DMK MLA had sparked widespread outrage. The public complained at the time that water could not flow through the aqueduct in a nearby street and that the sewer was blocked.
DMK MLA Ebenezer, who immediately went to the location, was enraged to see it lying like a drain. Following that, he chastised the corporation officials who had accompanied him, and they summoned a corporation employee to clean the drain. Without any safety equipment, the employee threw the waste out with his elbow-sized hand inside.
As the video has gone viral on social media, questions and criticisms have been raised about how the MLA allowed the municipal employee to dig the drain with his bare hands and without any safety equipment.
This was shared by Shalin Maria Lawrence as well who said “This is a crime under Prevention of manual scavenging act and SC/ST POA. Does this government have a conscious?!”
BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai too called for taking action against the MLA under the Prevention of Atrocities Act.
With the incident gaining traction, the DMK MLA resorted to threatening the ‘Dalit Christian’ woman writer.
This is unfair. If you don't remove the word " mla forced a corporation sanitation worker " i ll give complaint regarding this. I have full footage. I even didn't not talked with that worker. First of all that is not a drainage, it's a drinking water cloagging.
— J.J.Ebenezer MLA (@JJEbenezer1) January 4, 2023
Following the threat, ‘activist’ Shalin who often criticizes the BJP as a fascist party, wrote in anguish that she will not criticize DMK state government henceforth.
Okay .Il give that satisfaction to you .I will not write about Dalit issues hereafter.I will stop .Not just Dalit issues .I will not criticise the government for any human rights violation.Let me live a "normal life" with no opportunities cancelled and with no threats. YOU WIN.
— Shalin Maria Lawrence (@TheBluePen25) January 4, 2023
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