The 21-year-old Dalit student named R Iyyasamy from Tamil Nadu’s Melapidavur village was brutally attacked by a group of upper caste Hindus allegedly for riding a ‘Bullet’ motorcycle on February 12.
The assailant brutally attacked Iyyasamy causing severe injuries to his hands. He was rushed to Government Rajaji Hospital Madurai for emergency medical treatment.
According to a police statement, Iyyasamy, a third-year undergraduate mathematics student studying in a college in Sivaganga district was riding home when he was confronted by three Caste Hindus of the same village.
“Only higher community youths have the right to drive bullet bikes while Dalits lack this privilege,” said one of the attackers.
When Iyyasamy resisted, the three men attacked him sharp edge weapons injuring his hands. The group had planned to kill the Dalit young man but he managed to run away to safety.
The attackers have been identified as – Vinothkumar,21, Atheeshwaran,22, and Vallarasu, 21. After attacking Iyyasamy, the three men allegedly ransacked a Dalit family’s home.
Muniyasami, a relative of Iyyasamy, explained that caste discrimination has been prevalent for a long in their village. The young Dalit man’s father, Boominathan said that the upper caste Hindus were unhappy with his son riding a Bullet bike and intentionally caused damage to his vehicle.
Police, however, have dismissed any caste angle to the incident. According to them, Iyyasamy had a previous dispute with his attackers and on one occasion teased Atheeshwaran
Meanwhile, State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) police booked a case against Vinothkumar, Atheeshwaran and Vallarasu under 296 (1), 126 (2), 118 (1), 351 (3) of BNS and 3(1)(r)(s) of SC/ST Act. All of them have been arrested and remanded in prison.
“The investigation is still on,” police said.
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