On 29 September 2009, human rights defender Veerakumar, Community Organiser for Vizhuthugal Organisation, was attacked and severely injured with a sharp-edged weapon, allegedly by a Gongu Velalar upper caste member. He has been undergoing intensive care in the Government Hospital of Thiruppur.

Further Information

Vizhuthugal Organisation works with Dalits in Tamil Nadu province. Veerakumar has been a voluntary human rights defender of the Dalit Arunthathiyars, one of the most marginalized social groups in Tamil Nadu, for the past five years.

On 29 September 2009, Veerakumar was travelling by motorcycle, accompanied by a friend, Mariyappan, near the bus stop of the village of Kovilpalayam, located in the Ponbgalur union of Thiruppur region, in Tamil Nadu. At about 7.00pm, Veerakumar was approached by Saminathan Gounder, an upper caste villager, who allegedly attacked Veerakumar and cut him with a sharp-edged weapon. Veerakumar was seriously injured and admitted to the Thiruppur Government Hospital.

On hearing of the incident, over 3,000 Dalit people gathered on the Madurai-Thiruppur highway and staged a road picket in protest, demanding the arrest of the offender and police officers who acquiesced in the offence. The Superintendent of the Coimbatore Police, Mr Kannan, ordered public order offences against the protesters. However, due to the scale of the protest, police registered a case against upper caste villager Saminathan under Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The attack on Veerakumar followed his involvement in an earlier incident on 25 September 2009, when Saminathan allegedly abducted another Dalit youth, Mr Chinrasu, who had spoken out against caste-based violence. Saminathan took Chinrasu to his farm-yard, tied his hands behind his back and gagged him before attacking him severely. Veerakumar later helped Chinrasu to go to register the case at the Avinashipalayam police station, but the police took no action after reportedly receiving bribes. Veerakumar had been involved in pursuing the District State Prosecutor, Mr Ramalingam, to take action on the case.

Dalit Arunthathiyars are one of the most marginalized social groups or castes from Tamil Nadu and form one of the largest Dalit groups, often suffering from extreme poverty and discrimination. Dalit Arunthathiyar human rights defenders are continually facing caste-based violence and are often attacked, with the result of some suffering disability or even being murdered by upper caste members, frequently with home-made weapons such as sharp-edged tools or knives. According to Vizhuthugal Organisation, in the past five years, 42 Arunthathiyar human rights defenders have been victimized by Gongu Velalar caste members.

Front Line believes that the attack on Veerakumar is directly related to his work in the defence of human rights, particularly the political and social rights of Dalit Arunthathiyars. Front Line is seriously concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Veerakumar and other Dalit Arunthathiyar defenders.

Front Line urges the authorities in India to:

1.Carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the attack against Veerakumar with a view to publishing the results and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards;

2.Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological security and integrity of Verakumar and other Dalit human rights defenders

3.Guarantee in all circumstances that human rights defenders in India are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals, and free of all restrictions.