A 41-year-old roadside vendor from the Scheduled Caste community, M Muthuselvi of Keezha Surandai, has filed a formal complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), alleging that her roadside stall was forcibly removed by the Surandai municipality with support from the police, in a targeted action due to her selling beef. The chairperson of the municipality, Valli Murugan, son of Tenkasi MLA Palani Nadar, and two police officers have been named in the complaint.
According to the complaint, on 29 April 2025, Murugan had allegedly confronted Muthuselvi and expressed his disapproval of beef being sold at her stall, which he claimed offended his religious sentiments, as cows are worshipped in his community. He allegedly warned her to vacate the area within two days or face eviction with police help. The woman stated that she earned her livelihood solely through the sale of beef and had been operating the stall with what she believed was oral consent from the municipality.
On 1 May 2025, she alleged that Sub-Inspector Selvan and a constable named Kalyana Sundararaj entered her residence without a warrant, threatened her using the name of the MLA, and instructed her to relocate her stall near a TASMAC outlet. She claimed that the authorities seized her pushcarts, gas cylinders, stoves, kitchenware, and all groceries, leaving her without a source of income.
Responding to the allegations, Superintendent of Police S. Aravind clarified that the action was part of a routine encroachment removal exercise carried out by the municipality, and that police presence was standard procedure during such civic actions. He denied any specific targeting or religious motive behind the operation.
Municipality chairperson Valli Murugan also denied orchestrating the seizure and claimed that the police had acted independently based on public health concerns. He acknowledged that he had informally allowed the woman to run a stall but distanced himself from the enforcement action, suggesting that the stall was located near a public path where people reportedly consumed alcohol.
Sub-Inspector Selvan justified the removal, stating it was based on intelligence inputs that the stall was causing hygiene issues, with meat waste allegedly polluting a nearby pond. He noted that Muthuselvi could approach the municipality and pay a penalty to retrieve the confiscated items.
Muthuselvi has circulated a video to media outlets and requested intervention from senior officials, asserting that the action was discriminatory and had destroyed her means of livelihood. The case has now drawn the attention of the NCSC, with further inquiry likely.
Scheduled Caste woman Muthuselvi claimed that Surandai municipality chairman removed her roadside stall in a targeted manner solely because she was selling beef. She said she lost her livelihood as her pushcarts and kitchenware were confiscated by municipality. She sent a video… https://t.co/uMdMI7IHia pic.twitter.com/PTohqMTzpJ
— Thinakaran Rajamani (@thinak_) May 5, 2025
(With inputs from The New Indian Express)
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