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Tamil Nadu
Dalit families demand land, protection
Fighting for space: Dalit families observe a fast in front of the revenue office in Krishnagiri on Tuesday .
KRISHNAGIRI: Twenty dalit families living in Pudupeyanapalli village in Krishnagiri Taluk observed fast with their family members in front of the Revenue Divisional Office. These families had given their land for Krishnagiri Dam.
They are currently living in six group houses and two thatched huts in a six cent piece of land.
Since the space was not enough for 20 families, 11 families went out of this village.
In the meantime, these people demanded that the adjoining 32 cent Natham Porampoke land in survey no. 461/2 should be allotted to them.
They submitted a memorandum to the Tahsildar on February 28, 2008.
Though all of them are eligible, the land was not allotted to them. Later, the same land was allotted to 10 non-dalits. All the allotments were given to the members of one family, some of them were even 17-year-old students.
A part of the six cent piece of land, where the dalits were living, was later used for a pathway for the non-dalits. Petitions submitted to the Tahsildar fell on deaf ears. The non-dalits who were allotted the nearby land have tried to evict the dalits from their land. In the meantime, a senior citizen’s thatched house was torched on May 19, 2008.
Though the villagers provided enough evidence about those believed to be behind the incident, the police did not take any action. Later, a board bearing the name of Ambedkar was removed.
The the non-dalits are now building houses in the adjoining land with the support of officers and are trying to evict the dalits from their land, the family members claimed.
The fast was supported by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Krishnagiri Town Secretary K. Mani inaugurated the fast. CPM District Secretary Mr. D. Ravindran ended the fast in the evening.
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