Pudukkottai (Tamil Nadu): The Madras High Court in Madurai, Tamil Nadu has ordered an investigation into a complaint of caste discrimination in the Pudukkottai district. The complaint, filed by a man named Shanmugam, alleges that the water supply in a village was contaminated with human excrement, affecting more than 30 families. The contamination occurred in an overhead storage tank in the village of Vengaivayal, which is home to the Arunthathiyar community. Many children reportedly became ill after drinking the contaminated water.


Caste discrimination in TN village


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The complaint also mentions the practice of the two-tumbler system in the area, which involves the upper classes drinking from one tumbler and the other classes from another tumbler. This practice has resulted in low castes being banned from entering the temple. The public prosecutor told the court that three cases have been registered regarding the contamination of the water supply with human excrement.


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Kumaran. R, a villager, told IANS that the water smelt different and they checked the tank only to find a large quantity of human excreta dumped in the water tank. 


Human feces in a water tank


The Tamil Nadu police are also investigating the incident. Villagers in the affected community reported finding human excrement in the overhead water tank that supplies their colony. It is believed that the contamination may have been a planned attack, potentially linked to caste discrimination. The Gandharvakottai MLA, M. Chinnadurai, stated that the police are conducting an investigation and that alternative water supply arrangements have been made to ensure that the affected community does not suffer.


Caste-based discrimination and violence are significant issues in several villages in Tamil Nadu. The dropping of human excrement in water tanks is not a new tactic in the state, and this incident highlights the need for action to address and prevent such discrimination and attacks. 


(With IANS inputs)