செல்வி.ஜெயாவின் பொலிஸ்படை தலித் ஆர்ப்பாட்டக்காரர்கள் மேல் நடத்திய வன்முறையில் 5 தலித்துக்கள் படுகொலை.

செய்தி வருமாறு:

TN cops open fire on Dalit protesters, 5 dead
TIMES OF INDIA  TNN  Sep 12, 2011, 02.54AM IST

RAMANATHAPURAM: Five people were killed in firing in Ramanathapuram district in southern Tamil Nadu on Sunday as policemen battled violent mobs protesting against the detention of a dalit leader. Several others including top police officers were hurt in the violence that rocked the caste-sensitive region as protestors blocked roads, set fire to vehicles, and hurled stones.

Chief minister J Jayalalitha defended the firing saying policemen "were forced to open fire as the protestors attacked the police personnel on duty." She said the violence appeared to have been "instigated" for political gains. She also announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to families of the men killed in the firing.

Unrest broke out almost simultaneously at Paramakudi village and on the outskirts of neighbouring Madurai as news spread at noon that the Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader, John Pandian, had been detained on his way to a function to mark the 54th death anniversary of a dalit leader, Immanuel Sekaran. The agitators blocked roads in Paramakudi as well as Madurai demanding the release of Pandian, who was stopped at Tuticorin to prevent him from reaching Paramakudi. Police said they had detained Pandian on the basis of intelligence inputs which indicated that his visit would spark off violence in Ramanathapuram.

John Pandian, regarded as a militant dalit leader, has considerable influence over dalit youth in Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli districts. He was serving a life term in a murder case and was acquitted by the Supreme Court last year.

Sekaran, who was murdered by a gang on September 11, 1957 in Paramakudi, is seen as a dalit icon. His memorial day attracts a large number of dalits from across the state every year. There were fears that Pandian's presence at the memorial would stir up caste violence. Pandian's detention sparked off an instant agitation by the dalits who had thronged Paramakudi. The protestors pelted stones, injuring many including Ramanathapuram DIG Sandeep Mittal and Adayar deputy commissioner K A Senthilvelan. Attempts were made to disperse the mob by a lathi-charge and use of tear-gas. When it failed, the police opened fire.

Two of the agitators died on the spot while one died in Madurai government hospital and another at the Sivaganga general hospital. Three of the deceased were identified as R Ganesan (55), T Panneerselvam (50) and P Jayapaul (20). Among the injured, all from Paramakudi, one person had a bullet injury in the head and five others splinter injuries on the leg.

Their condition was described as stable. The firing at Madurai left two youths with bullet injuries in the chest and abdomen. They were identified as Jayaprakash (19) and Balakrishnan (19) from Sivaganga district. As news of the deaths spread, more dalits started converging near the memorial, fuelling further unrest. Police have now cordoned off all roads leading into the area, stopping vehicles from entering Paramakudi.