Ward member held for caste slur on Dalit woman civic chief

Acting on a complaint from Kavandachipudur Village Panchayat R Selvi (33) the Dharapuram police arrested S Kuppusamy (40), a member of the same ward, under SC/ST Act on Tuesday.

Police said that Kuppusamy accompanied by two others, Gopalakrishnan and Deva, threatened the woman panchayat president a few days ago demanding to withdraw a police complaint under sections iof SC/ST Act lodged by her against him in May, this year. Following a fresh complaint on August 14, the Dharapuram police booked the trio under IPC sections 3(1)(p) (institutes false, malicious or vexatious suit or criminal or other legal proceedings against a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe) and 3(1)(r) (intentionally insults or intimidates with intent to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe in any place within public view) of the SC/ST Act along with section 506(1) (Criminal intimidation).

After a search, the accused, who went into hiding, was arrested on Tuesday.

However, Kuppusamy had been admitted in Tiruppur Government Hospitl for high blood pressure during a check up in the hospital.

He is said to be still under treatment, while a search is on to nab two others.