A group of Dalit Christians from Kottapalayam village near Thuraiyur held a hunger strike outside the Tiruchy Collectorate on Monday, alleging that they had been subjected to caste-based discrimination during the ongoing annual festival of the St Mary Magdalene Church, which comes under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kumbakonam.
The protestors claimed they had been consistently excluded from participating in key aspects of the festival, which began on 14 July 2025. They stated that they were not permitted to pay subscriptions to the church and had been left out of planning committees. They further alleged that the church’s chariot procession was deliberately routed to avoid their locality, despite the presence of seven chariots in the festival.
According to them, attempts to contribute to the church through standard subscriptions had been refused, and they were instead asked to make donations, which they believed was intended to prevent them from gaining any say in church matters. The protestors accused dominant caste Christians of controlling festival decisions and maintaining discriminatory practices.
They also submitted a petition to the District Revenue Officer during the weekly grievances meeting, seeking action against the parish priest and others who, they claimed, had threatened them and used caste-based slurs during a festival planning meeting held on 6 July 2025.
A human rights lawyer who participated in the protest said the situation reflected a systemic denial of equality and called for dismantling caste-based divisions within the religious institution. The protestors demanded the formation of an inclusive parish council, equal participation in religious and festival events, and legal action against those responsible for caste-based discrimination.
Bishop Jeevanandam Amalanathan of the Diocese of Kumbakonam announced that he would not participate in the chariot procession scheduled for 22 July 2025. He cited persistent caste discrimination within the parish as the reason for his decision and reportedly expressed concern that dominant caste Christians continued to oppose equal rights for Dalit Christians. However, the church officially denied any discriminatory practices.
Sources in the revenue department stated that the petitions had been forwarded to the local authorities, and instructions had been given to conduct an inquiry into the matter.
(With inputs from The New Indian Express)
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