The incident in which a DMK functionary fined a Dalit couple from Krishnagiri district for their love marriage has sparked outrage.
Arignar, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) union secretary for the Bargur South constituency in the Thogarapalli panchayat, runs a feudal ‘kangaroo courts’ in his area. The kangaroo court is ruled by patriarchal diktat. Its administrators claim to speak for the community, with the stated goal of exercising social control. Men set the agenda, and women are typically barred from participating. A fine is a form of social control that pushes people into poverty.
Pradeep, a diploma holder, married his long-time girlfriend, a B.Sc. Botony graduate, with their respective families’ approval. Both couples belonged to the same Dalit community, and the marriage was approved by both families. However, opposition came from an unexpected source. The Manayakarar (community head) of a Scheduled Caste village with over 200 households in Thogarapalli panchayat in Mathur held a community ‘court’ and fined the couple’s families 25,000.
Pradeep who was fined by the kangaroo court said, “In our village, people have had love marriages before too. But, these penalties started with my marriage after Arignar was made the community head. That was a huge amount. They threatened to disconnect our water and electricity connection. We were unable to fight and our families paid up ₹25,000 each. I even told my uncle, who was then posted at Mathur Police Station, but he suggested I pay and let go of any conflict.”
This was not an isolated incident in which the couple’s families were fined by DMK functionary Arignar for their love marriage, even within the same community.
In a similar incident, the same DMK functionary Arignar issued a social boycott order for Venkatesan, 56, a Havildar supervisor posted in Arunachal Pradesh. When he arrived for his mother’s funeral, he discovered that a boycott order had been issued.
It was revealed that because Venkatesan’s niece married within the same Dalit community in a ‘love-cum-arranged marriage,’ DMK functionary Arignar fined them Rs 25000 and issued a social boycott order when they refused to pay the fine.
Mr. Venkatesan said, “After a 12-hour bus ride from my Arunachal station, I flew to Chennai and then took a bus to Mathur.” But when I returned home, there was a disturbing scene. Because no one from our village was present, my family was forced to bury my mother with the assistance of strangers. That’s when we realized there was a social boycott against our family.” It is also stated that anyone who does not follow the community diktat will be fined Rs 10000.
In another such incident, Karunanidhi’s son fell in love with another girl belonging to the same community and got married without the knowledge of their family. In this case, DMK Arignar imposed a Rs 25000 fine on both families for having a love marriage just as both families were about to approve it.
Mr. Karunanidhi was forced into poverty as a result of the fine. He sold his only milch cow to pay the fine plus 600 as ‘Thappu’ (penalty on penalty). “My cow was my sole source of revenue. I used to get 500 to 1,000 per week,” he explained. After selling the cow to pay the fine, he now works on construction sites mixing cement. “I’m getting old, and I can’t do much manual labor because of my eyesight,” said Mr. Karunanidhi.
Mr. Karunanidhi and his family attempted self-immolation outside the Collectorate on February 15, 2021, drawing attention to the family’s ongoing social boycott. He filed a complaint at Mathur Police Station against Mr. Arignar, demanding that the ‘fine’ be returned. But, he claimed, nothing came of it.
Mr. Arignar, on the other hand, denies holding illegal Katta panchayats. “Without social control, how can we maintain the sanctity of the social structure? Otherwise, everything will fall apart. We need a Kattamaippu and a Kattupaadu. Ask anybody in the village, nobody has any complaints. We use the fine of ₹25,000 for the public good — for the temple festival, and to help people during deaths in the family,” he explained.
Inspector Murugan of Mathur police station, on the other hand, denied all allegations of Katta Panchayat and fines, stating that “there is a political motive behind the allegations and no such fines are collected in the said village.”
(with inputs from Hindu)
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