Paramakudi firing clearly shows the ugly truth that the administration and the Police force instead of being an instrument to enforce the rule of law, is increasingly seen as a pliable tool in the hands of the dominant caste Hindus. The police firing on Dalits at Paramakudi who gathered to attend the guru puja of Dalit leader Immanuel Sekaran was an indication of a sinister design to put down any Dalit attempt at political mobilisation. One cannot forget the way riots were engineered when the then TN govt created the Transport Corporation in the name of Veeran SundaraLingam, a Dalit warrior. Whenever the Dalits raised their voice, they were silenced brutally. With widening social inequalities and a section desirous of seeking their rights guaranteed under the Constitution, this sort of tensions are likely to increase. The depth of emotion invested in Immanuel Sekaran memorial explains the history of violence attached to them. When John Pandian was denied entry to attend Immanuel’s Anniversary, dalit retaliation was a sign of self-assertion. They retaliate because of the confidence Immanuel has given them. When they were expected to be sub-human, it was Immanuel who taught them they are as human as everybody else. Police firing is not an attempt to contain violence but to escalate violence terrorizing the entire Dalit community with a veiled threat that glorifying Immanuel Sekaran would be disastrous.
The Tamilnadu Police has a long tradition of being a partisan instrument in the hands of the caste Hindus. Law enforcers across the state have shown a remarkable reluctance to use the SC/ST Act to protect Dalits from upper-caste violence. At the heart of the problem is the fact that a section of police officers instead of fighting violence resort to violence showing their ugly casteist face. Even after 65 years of independence, Dalits do not file complaints against the dominant communities fearing reprisal, as they depend mostly on the landholders for their livelihood. In most cases, the SC/ST Act remains largely un-enforced due to both ignorance and active obstruction on the part of Tamil Nadu’s law enforcement. Even when they lodge a complaint under the SC/ST Act, the police ask the caste Hindus to lodge a counter complaint so that a criminal case is filed against the economically impoverished Dalits. Witnesses in such cases are terrorized and forced to retract.The negligible conviction rate in cases under the SC/ST Act also demoralises the oppressed sections.
It is also appaling to know that the Chief Minister defends the police firing at Paramakudi. The process of social democratisation, which is taking place in the southern districts, is being retarded. The state administration itself acts in a biased manner against the dalits and is fully complicit in the discriminatory practices. Police firing and atrocities have already occurred in Nalumoolaikinaru, Kodiyankulam, Sankaralingapuram, Uthapuram and Manjolai. Constituting an enquiry committee is not a solution for the insoluble internal conflicts in our society. Erring police officials should be booked under SC/ST Act. In a democratic nation, no caste Hindu community can insist that the security of Dalits depends on the goodwill of the dominant community. The Government should adhere strictly to the constitutional laws and undo casteism from the law enforcing machinery. The rising tide of casteism in the police force can be stemmed only by an uncompromising stand.
A brief History of Immanuel Sekaran-the champion of social justice
To most readers in this nation starved of authentic information by the imperialist news agencies, the name of Immanuel Sekaran is either unfamiliar or just a name. Fondly remembered today by the Dalits as Immanuel Devendrar, Sekaran is a rebel whose greatness the rest of India is still struggling to understand. Dalits must understand how Immanuel accomplished extraordinary things, rising to the challenge when they were needed to ensure independence for the oppressed castes. He discovered that caste need not be a badge of servility but rather could be a banner for uncompromising revolutionary struggle. He was murdered because he was doing too much to pass this attitude on to his caste people. He died at the hands of the enemy. What remains is to go beyond the generalities and to understand the most significant elements attached to Immanuel’s life and death.
Born on 10th October 1924 in Sellur near Muthukulathoorr, Immanuel Sekaran was an average student and could study only upto the higher secondary. As a teenager, Immanuel grew up in the highly stratified society, with two major handicaps, his caste and class.
To read the full biography written and published by Dr.T.Marx… contact drtmarx@gmail.com
