Tamil Nadu: 25-year-old Dalit man killed over caste clash

A caste clash that erupted on Sunday between men of a certain upper caste community and a group of Dalit men resulted in the death of a 25-year-old man, belonging to the Dalit community.

According to a report by TNM, sports and cultural events were being conducted in a village located 35 kms from the town of Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, on the occasion of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s birthday. When a group of men from the upper caste community, headed by a man named Dayalan (27), allegedly harassed a couple of female students, men from the Dalit colony intervened, leading to a fight between the two groups. Dayalan, along with his friend, ended up stabbing a Dalit youth, identified as Kalaiarasan, who later succumbed to his injuries.

The police reportedly told TNM, “Dayalan left the spot immediately and brought back a group of men including his friend Dileepan (27) to attack the Dalit men. In the clashes that ensued, Kalaiarasan was stabbed. Dayalan and his friends fled the scene after stabbing him.” The police eventually arrested the accused men and booked them for rioting, verbal abuse, and murder under the SC/ST Act.