Perungudi: Five members of the Dalit community, including a five-year-old boy, were brutally attacked with swords by two upper caste Hindutva men in Tamil Nadu state in India.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the injured persons of the Dalit community are being treated at a local hospital in Madurai district.
The victims have been identified as Ganapathy Kumar, Ajith, Vijayakumar, Periyasamy and his five-year-old grandson. They all are residents of Sankaiah Koil Street in Perungudi and members of the Paraiyar community, which is a Scheduled Caste group.
The incident was reported on the website of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) which cited a The News Minute report, claiming that the victims were having a conversation at a playground before heading to work as daily labourers on the fateful evening. They were reportedly approached by two men named R. Mari and K. Sasikumar wanted to know the whereabouts of an individual named Kannan Pillai.
When the labourers showed their ignorance about the sought-after individual, some heated exchanges ensued. The accused then resorted to throwing some casteist slurs at the victims. The accused mentioned their caste and alleged that they were not being shown the respect they deserved.
The alleged attackers belong to the Kallar community which holds considerable political clout in the region, The News Minute report said.
The attack has sparked widespread condemnation from various Dalit rights activists.
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