Tirunelveli: 6 minors apprehended for attacking Dalit boy, sister with sickles

TIRUNELVELI: The Tamil Nadu Police on Friday apprehended six minor boys for allegedly attacking a 17-year-old Dalit student with sickles following the complaint from the victim to his school management against three of the boys alleging harassment.

A 17-year-old Dalit boy studying in class 12 at Concordia Government Higher Secondary School in Valliyoor of Nellai district and his 14-year-old younger sister Selvi were allegedly attacked by a group of class 12 boys from the same school.

The police officials said that the victim's sister was also injured in the attack.

Those apprehended include three boys studying in classes 11 and Class 12 at the victim’s school in Valliyoor, while the other three are their friends. The class 11 and 12 students allegedly assaulted the boy after they asked him to buy cigarettes for them and he refused. “Unable to bear their torture, the victim girl shared their harassment with her parents and stopped going to school.

At around 10:30 pm, the accused students barged into the victim's house and started attacking the victim with a machete. The boy's sister was also injured as she tried to protect her brother,” the police said. The police’s handling of the crime, meanwhile, sparked outrage among the victims’ relatives and local community members.

They blocked the road, during which a 60-year-old relative fainted and subsequently died of cardiac arrest, further escalating tensions. Police have registered a case under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and section of attempted murder.