Dalits,upper castes face-off on temple entry

A portion of the wall was demolished following protests by the Dalits led by the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front TNUEF,a CPM-backed outfit,sometime back.

The Dalits had then demanded that the temple be thrown open to everybody. But the community that owned the temple had opposed the suggestion.

Taking up the cause of the Dalits again,the TNUEF and the CPM have demanded that the temple doors should be thrown open to the backward castes and also announced a temple-entry agitation on Monday.

After the Marxists took up the issue,the upper castes formed another group to protect the temple,leading to tension in the area.

The district collector issued prohibitory orders in Uthapuram village and the surrounding areas. A large contingent of police was deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

Despite warnings and requests from the district administration,the party cadres,local Dalits and activists on Monday tried to forcefully enter the temple.

Hundreds of people led by party MLA K Mahendran tried to enter the temple premises but were prevented by the police,resulting in a scuffle. Over a hundred people were arrested.