Karur’s untouchable wall to come down after month-long protests
Naickars built the wall on a government poramboke land where the Dalits had intended to construct a public toilet and community hall.
The 'untouchable wall' at Muthaladampatti in Karur
TIRUCHY: A month-long protest for demolishing the ‘untouchable wall’ in Karur came to an end on Thursday after the RDO ordered it to be brought down without any condition.
According to sources, around a month ago, a 10-feet-high wall was constructed at Muthaladampatti in the Karur corporation limit (ward no 48) by the dominant Thottia Naickar community to ‘prevent’ the entry of Dalits (Arunthathiyar community) who have been residing in two settlements in the area.
Naickars built the wall on a government poramboke land where the Dalits had intended to construct a public toilet and community hall.
The Dalits have been protesting on the Karur-Dindigul road since the wall came up last month and have lodged a complaint with revenue officials and the police to bring the ‘wall of discrimination’ down and construct a public toilet and a community hall.
The Dalits later petitioned district collector M Thangavel, demanding the removal of the wall, and he instructed Karur RDO Mohammed Faizal to initiate action.
On Wednesday, the RDO ordered the wall to be removed. He said the wall was intentionally built to keep other communities out. He also said construction on poramboke land is illegal. “A notice was served to the people who constructed the wall, directing them to demolish it”, the RDO said.
