The mother of the two scheduled caste (SC) students who were hacked by dominant intermediate caste students told The New Indian Express that she will admit their children to any other school stating that their present government-aided school in Valliyoor is no more safe for them in Tirunelveli on Friday, August 11.
She added that her son underwent severe mental agony during his school days due to the casteist attitude shown against him by the intermediate caste students.
Ambikapathi (54), the mother of the victims Chinnadurai (17) and Chandraselvi (14), said that the intermediate caste students asked her son to purchase idly, cigarettes and other tobacco products for them with his money at school.
A mother's lament
"They snatched money from my son and abused him using his caste name. The intermediate caste students also forced him to blow the whistle when the classes were going on. He was also forced to run different errands for him. They asked him to show his answer sheet during school exams and ordered him to bring water for them. After telling me about these issues, he decided to go to Chennai for a job. However, thanks to the advice of my relative, he decided to continue his studies. When we were summoned by the school administration, we complained about the harassment by the intermediate caste students who were warned by the administration. At about 10.30 pm on Wednesday, those students came to our house and brutally attacked my son with a sickle. I am working as a cooking assistant at a government-aided school. I want police protection for my family members and the relatives who supported me," she demanded.
What the police is doing
When contacted by The New Indian Express, the Superintendent of Police, N Silambarasan, said that six students were apprehended by the Nanguneri police under Sections 212, 294(b), 307, 324, 352, 452 and 506 (2) of Indian Penal Code and 3 (1) (r), 3 (1) (s) and 3 (2)(v) of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
"The juveniles were sent to the government observation home. We already began giving police protection to the family members of victims," he said.
In a statement, the Executive Director of Evidence A Kathir demanded the Tamil Nadu government to give the victims' family compensation of Rs 10 lakh and monthly financial assistance of Rs 5,000.
"There is a political intervention to save the intermediate caste students as their relatives are holding important posts in the DMK and MDMK. The school teachers who are taking steps to dismiss those students from the school are receiving threats via phone calls," he said.
Meanwhile, the film director Mari Selvaraj responded to the attack on the Nanguneri students by sharing the picture of blood drops seen on the stairs of Chinnadurai's house. "Ask someone soon to find out the story of the hot blood dripping down these stairs for the past two days. If the blood dries, your heart, without even your knowledge, will beg all people to pass on (the incident) citing it as an old wound," he said.
