2 yrs after caste tensions over temple, Tamil Nadu village moves on with some help

The dare involved one of them – a Dalit youth – stepping into the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. A video of the incident was recorded and shared, and led to the issue escalating into a political and administrative crisis.

With Dalit entry into the temple becoming an issue, the district administration intervened, citing the need to uphold social justice and prevent tensions from spiralling. They sealed the temple and organised a series of talks between the communities, culminating in a reconciliation where representatives from the Dalit and Gounder communities, alongside District Collector T Prabhushankar and the Superintendent of Police, reopened the temple together.

A district administration’s note pointed to a process of collaborative resolution, citing strategies such as leveraging local influencers, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and offering financial incentives for development.

Rs 1.5 crore was allocated for infrastructure in Veeranampatti. Roadworks, potable water facilities, and streetlights were installed in the aftermath of the incident as part of the administration’s conciliatory efforts.

The temple, located in the heart of the village, had long been a shared space of worship, albeit with unspoken boundaries. Veeranampatti is home to roughly 150 Scheduled Caste households and 300 Gounder households.

Palraj, a panchayath ward member affiliated with the late Vijayakanth’s DMDK party, who is from the Gounder community, said, “Today, the temple remains open to all, but with an unofficial rule: members of both communities cannot pray inside at the same time. It is not a ban. It is just how things have settled. No one talks about it, but we all know.”

On the incident that caused the crisis, he said, “If you ask me, I will say that it was an unfortunate incident. It was not like we fought each other. Soon after the incident when some people raised objections, I sat and spoke to the Dalit youth for a long time and he was also regretting as he did not expect the issue to get to that level.”

And some remain ambivalent about the role of authorities. “We were not fighting,” said Perumal, an elderly tailor who helped construct the temple in the 1970s.

Not many in the village want to talk about the incident now.

Beyond the temple, Veeranampatti remains a village of interwoven lives. Agriculture remains the mainstay, with both Dalits and Gounders cultivating tapioca, groundnuts, and rice. Families continue to buy from the same grocery stores, drink tea at the same stalls, and send their children to the same schools. The government taluk hospital in nearby Mayilampetti remains the primary healthcare provider for both communities.

For his handling of the incident, Collector Prabhushankar has been recognised under the Jury Law and Order category in the Excellence in Governance Awards 2024 organised by The Indian Express. “I’m extremely delighted to win this. I got it last year in the Skill Development category. This category is extra important for a DM, so it’s very special,” Prabhushankar said.

On the incident, he said, “A caste dispute broke out over temple entry. Dalits were denied entry by a Backward Class community. There was a huge dispute. The district administration swung into action and within 15 days, we took both communities into the temple and managed to sort out the issue, creating a case study for other districts.”