CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday inaugurated a 'mani mandapam' built in memory of freedom fighter and slain Dalit civil rights fighter Immanuel Sekaran in Paramakudi, Ramanathapuram district.

The memorial was built at a cost of Rs 3 crore by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations department. The mani mandapam has been built at the request of the family members of late Sekaran, a prominent Dalit civil rights activist, freedom fighter, and Congress worker, who had appealed to the government to build a memorial. The Chief Minister's 2023 announcement has been fulfilled with the facility's inauguration.

CM Stalin looked at the exhibits at the Mani Mandapam, with Ramanathapuram District Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon also unveiling a bronze statue of the assassinated Dalit leader. Later, he posed for photographs with the family members of Immanuel Sekaran.

Ministers KN Nehru, RS Rajakannappan, Thangam Thennarasu, MP Saminathan, and others were present.

Immanuel Sekaran, better known for his fight against the oppression of Dalits in the region, also took part in the Quit India movement against the British and went to prison, despite serving as a Havildar in the British Army.

After the Chief Minister inaugurated the memorial hall and left the venue, the police allowed the public to enter the premises.

People from various towns and members of different organisations arrived in groups, proceeding in a procession from the Paramakudi bus stand to the statue, where they garlanded it and paid homage.