By
Chinnaa‘CM visits Kakkancheri: offers relief’
Media in Tamil Nadu, both print and electronic, beamed. They also predicted that Chief Minister Dravida Mani would convince the Untouchables to come for a settlement with other Ur people of Gunamangalam village.
As the six police vans, carrying fifth and sixth battalions of Riots Control Police Force (RCPF) entered Ur streets of Gunamangalam village, under Kattumannarkoil taluk of Cuddalore district, the dusty sand that rose up spoke volumes of the nasty riots that rocked the hitherto unknown tiny village of lesser importance.
Caste people of the Ur, both men and women, old and young, rich and poor ran shelter helter. Seeing the gun-wielding police force of different type and built, altogether different from the routine local police, they would have thought that something unexpected and inevitable was in the offing.
With the local police, they always used to manage anything and everything with a maamool. Of course, that was possible after a hard bargain only. Caste played a major role in addition to greasing them with bribe money. More grease with higher caste background would help solve any problem with them. Lesser grease with lower caste status would invariably backfire and result in getting beaten up with a high-handed thrashing and in some cases, lock-up deaths.
Majority of the times crime against untouchables would go unnoticed by the elite media, costly and ever-delaying judiciary and of course caste-ridden bureaucracy.
It was 9 a.m. Sun rays were unusually hot that day. For the Ur people of Gunamangalam, it was not a good day. They were slowly recovering from the skirmishes of a caste clash between them and their slave untouchables of Kakkancheri that attracted nationwide media attention.
Their only disappointment was that they stood poorly exposed this time to the entire world. Till then, whatever bigger crime they committed to untouchables in the name of caste was not at all known to other areas. The entire bureaucratic machinery, especially revenue and police officials were with them in their resolve to perpetuate caste system of asserting the hegemonic role of purity of higher castes over impure untouchables. But time has changed. Nowadays, crimes against untouchables, of any kind and of every cue, however small it might seem, are made public immediately, of course, with many consequences. They blamed the media for this, because of which even a small practice of discrimination was immediately blown out of proportion and reported to the world.
Till a few years from now, untouchables were submissive and obedient. Now they were more assertive and aggressive in their posture and behaviour with Ur people of different castes. How dare a wretched population of slaves would oppose them, their actions, and their age-old practices of untouchability!
It was alleged that caste people therefore wanted to teach them a lesson for their new attitude and behaviour. A lesson they could never forget; instantly killing five untouchables on the spot. The poor victims were in fact stabbed in day light in the glare of entire Kakkancheri population so that it was a warning for them not to venture out any further. The killing was so violent and forceful that the gore image of their dedicated youth being deprived of their lives lingered in their mind and vision with night- mare nostalgia.
Tea and other shops near the bus stand were closed. Usual morning chit-chat of Ur caste people along with newspaper reading was also missing. Not many people were to be seen in the bus stand area, which otherwise would engage a lot of Ur people and a great amount of moving population from surrounding villages.
Since bus stand area was surrounded by residences of Ur people consisting of Agraharam of Brahmins, Vellala Street of Pillais, Naidu Street of Naidus, Palli Street of Padayachis, Konar Street of Konars, local visitors were usually from these streets.
Such was the speed of Riot Control Police vehicles that people got scattered and screamed out to inform others to remain within four walls of their houses to escape the wrath of ‘military police’
The speeding vehicles screeched to a halt near the bus stand and Riot police got down from vans and took positions. The commandant prepared them for a confidence building parade to the people.
To their astonishment and surprise, these policemen were appearing to be slim and agile, unlike the heavy-bellied bribe-thirsty police they used to interact. Even yesterday, immediately after the murder of five untouchables and the torching of Kakkancheri huts, these local police were seen enquiring people. Of course, with their big bellies!
Their behaviour then was rather strange in the sense that they were cool and more polite in enquiring them. The reason might be the murder of five untouchables and their connivance with Ur people in the heinous crime. But for the expose by the media, they might have behaved as their usual-selves, rough and tough, arrogant and uncouth.
The so called confidence-building parade by the RCPF started. Onlookers watched with awe and surprise.
Two strangers, probably untouchables of other areas from the crowd at bus stand were engaged in conversation as others were just observing the parade of RCPF police.
‘After some time they will definitely fire at the trouble makers and would-be- rioters’
‘No, this is only an act of tokenism. Nothing will happen here as this is Ur area of caste people; the lion’s share of Dravidian vote-bank politics.’
‘Are these people not perpetrators of yesterday’s violence against untouchables?’
‘So what? They have their rulers, their bureaucracy, their government and their opposition’
‘Is it not appropriate that bureaucracy or police force in a government is for all people?’
‘If that is the case, they should have gone to the affected untouchables in Kakkancheri. They should go there and assuage their feelings first.’
‘These are the attackers, who are to be intimidated.’
‘No, that is not the reason. You should understand that this is the way justice of the majority is administered here. You support the majority, and then minority will be intimated to fall in line’
‘You mean protect and support caste people even if they are perpetrators of violence. Don’t worry about poor, uncountable, powerless untouchables who do not matter in Dravidian politics.’
‘In the caste dharma, animals get a better deal than untouchables.’
Kakkancheri colony of Untouchabes was burning. Burning with the colony were many things; their thatched huts with a lower opening for a life of servitude, their minimal earthly belongings of earthen utensils and cotton cloth materials, and of course, the valour and spirit of five invaluable lives of their fellow men. Along with these and much more were the emotions of the entire colony that were about to erupt.
Burning to burn the oppressors, in a tit for tat manner, untouchables of Kakkancheri, fifty or so in number, prepared themselves to be ready for any eventuality. Because they had nothing to lose anything and anymore than their lives, they needed a cause for these to be spared. They were also very sure that they could not tolerate any more insult to their dignity and identity as untouchables.
No body knew what went inside their persons. Such was the scale of emotion that anything might happen to anybody for any reason, whatsoever. If any emotionally charged act would pass by in that ambience, even accidentally, no body would be able to prevent another casualty.
Seeing the dead bodies of their own dear ones again and again, they, more particularly men and youth, got infuriated and agitated. Even a slight provocative act might trigger another round of mayhem and bloodshed to make Gunamangalam to go to flames.
In spite of advice for restraint, self-control and caution from the elders headed by Murugan and Kuppan, the youngsters with rather adamant and aggressive postures, were waiting for an opportunity to take revenge on the caste people. They were ready to give any price for self respect, equality and human dignity. Because of elders’ intervention, they kept quiet and were taking all steps to protect the slain bodies from external seizure by other caste groups.
This time they could not afford to lose the bodies for desecration by enemies, as it happened last time.
Bathed, perfumed, and kept in a lying position, these bodies of the dedicated souls were venerated by one and all in the colony. While women were wailing and mourning with their lament surrounding the bodies, men, especially the youth with high emotions in their blood veins and heart throbs, were arguing with elders. While youth were pressing for retaliatory measures, elders refused consent and suggested restraint.
While tragic, wailing lament of Untouchable womenfolk in Kakkencheri pierced through the caste streets of Gunamangalam, clouds of a mourning sky were about to shed tears; tears for a decent farewell.
You promised us liberation from slavery and penury;
Protection from discrimination, and ill-treatment.
Where were you gone? What about your promises?
Their lament did never reach either gods or rulers, for both of them were mute spectators of circumstances and events. Alien onlookers of a foreign soil would have been more responsible towards these untouchables than the ruling party members and yes-man aristocrats of this country. They would better love their dogs than untouchables.
The mood and, more specifically the reaction of the crowd, were changing rapidly as they saw the ambassador car of the district secretary of ruling party entering the street of Kakkencheri. He is accompanied by DIG Mr. Vinod Acharya and SP Mr. Thirumaran along with their force if policemen. The collective emotions of them were all the more visible and uncontrollable, when they neared his vehicle before he could halt and come out.
“Vanakkam, all of you”
With the typical politician style of gesturing with folded hands, the South Arcot district secretary of the ruling party Mr. V.M Aadalarasu tried his level best to convince the untouchables of Kakkencheri. He was requesting, cajoling, beseeching and finally begging them to concede to his request of listening to him.
The police personnel were simply standing in a posture of subservience to the politician.
‘The CM is coming today, Please meet him and …”
“What for”
The people gathered around, shouted in anger. They were not willing to listen to any of his requests.
“Go back; we won’t meet your CM. Your own party’s Town Secretary is the main culprit in this riot”“If he meets you, all problems will be solved”
“Will he be able to give back our valuable friends’ lives, which died for us?”
Unable to convince the mob he had asked the police to move out and he had some secret conversation with the cadres. After some time he left the place.
As the convey of CM was entering the riot-stricken streets of Gunamangalam village, the entire inmates of Kakkancheri started deserting the place.
They were seen crossing the boundary of Gunamangalam village and the exodus towards an unknown destination was unpreventable by all the forces of democracy, the CM, the bureaucracy, judiciary and legislature.
The CM, district revenue officials including police force along with the Ur people were witnessing the exodus of the untouchables of Kakkancheri.
Posts
