The Vellimedu police have booked three juveniles aged 11-13 under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, on charges of hurling caste abuses at an eleven-year-old boy and pushing him into a heap of burning waste at Kaatusigiri near Tindivanam.
The boy sustained burns on his back and was admitted to the Tindivanam General Hospital.
According to the police, the boy studying in Class VI in the village’s Government Higher Secondary School was heading towards his grandmother’s house around 5 p.m. on Monday when the incident occurred.
According to the complaint lodged by the boy’s father with the police, the three boys belonging to the Vanniyar community, a Most Backward Community and from the same school, allegedly hurled caste abuses at the boy near a cremation shed and pushed him into a burning waste heap. Two of the juveniles later took the victim to his home and fled the scene.
The complainant alleged that the trio had already hurled caste abuses at his son a month ago. A complaint was also lodged with the school’s headmaster in this connection.
The injured boy is recuperating in the Tindivanam GH. The police booked the three boys studying Classes VI, VII, and VII under Sections 324 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), read with sections 3 (1) (r), 3 (1) (s) under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. Further investigations are on.
When contacted, Prof. Prabha Kalvimani, coordinator of Pazhangudi Irular Paathukappu Sangam (PIPS) said the contours of inequality prevalent in the society and the rising discrimination against the underprivileged sections, especially Irulas, had influenced the younger generation to resort to such acts.
He alleged that incidents of attacks on Irulars, including foisting of false cases by the police, have been on the rise. The government should conduct sensitisation programmes among teachers and students to prevent such incidents, he said.
