The police in Villupuram district arrested two caste Hindus and booked a case against six others for making three elderly Dalit men fall at their feet and apologise over a quarrel.
The arrested have been identified as Gokul Raj and Seetharaman of Ottanandhal Panchayat.
Cases have been booked against the eight persons under 147, 294 (b), 506 (1) read with various provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Though the incident took place on Tuesday, it came to light only after the video of the incident went viral on social-media platforms.
In his complaint to the police, R. Kumaran (28) of Ottanandhal colony claimed that eight persons from the Panchayat including Gokul Raj and Seetharaman had forced three elderly Dalit men from the colony to prostrate before them and apologise over organising a music function in the village.
Police said the Dalits had organised a music function on Tuesday. Caste Hindus from the village had lodged a complaint against them with the local police for organising the event during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An altercation ensued after a group from the colony questioned a youth from the village for lodging a police complaint.
Inquiry by the police revealed that though the issue was initially resolved, it was later escalated after the panchayat decided to resolve the issue on its own.
The panchayat made three Dalit elders to prostrate before them and apologise for the sequence of events.
The police have also booked a case against 54 members from the colony based on a counter-complaint lodged by R. Ramesh.
