T. Perumalpatti SC residents seek access to village temple
Scheduled Caste residents in T. Perumalpatti have petitioned the district administration for equal access to their local temple. They allege that caste Hindu members have restricted their entry and participation in religious festivities.
Why it matters
This case underscores ongoing issues regarding social discrimination and the enforcement of civil rights in rural communities.
Scheduled Caste residents from T. Perumalpatti village near Usilampatti here on Monday approached the district administration to petition for equal rights and access to their local temple.
The villagers said that while both Scheduled Caste and caste Hindu communities resided in the area, the Santhana Mariyamman temple remained under the exclusive control of caste Hindu members, who restricted SC residents from entering and worshipping the deity.
According to the petitioners, discriminatory practices extended to temple festivities. They noted that the ceremonial temple car bearing the deity was deliberately kept out of the streets inhabited by SC families.
They pointed out that such actions violated their fundamental rights and constituted punishable offences under The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
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