Blatant caste discrimination at public cemetery in Kerala

The residents of Ummathampadi Scheduled Caste Colony alleged that it was unfair and unjust that they were not allowed to bury a dead body at the Alamaram Public Cemetery. The group of people who objected to the funeral of Shakunthala also locked up the public cemetery worsening the situation.

Palakkad:Following a row over banishing a scheduled caste woman’s family from using the Attappadi Alamara Public Cemetery in Palakkad district of Kerala to bury the woman’s mortal remains, the residents of Puthoor Ummathampadi Scheduled Caste Colony have made formal complaints to the officials alleging blatant caste discrimination.

The argument heated up as a group of people objected to burying the dead body of Shakunthala, a resident of Ummathampadi Colony.

The group of people who objected to the funeral of Shakunthala also locked up the public cemetery worsening the situation.

The woman’s dead body had to be later buried in a ‘Poramboke’ land.

The residents of Ummathampadi Scheduled Caste Colony alleged that it was unfair and unjust that they were not allowed to bury a dead body at the Alamaram Public Cemetery.

The group who objected to it claims that the cemetery is not a public cemetery and that it was bought using the funds raised through donations by Shivamukthi Cemetery Sangham.

The group claimed that they possess the documents proving that they possessed the land through donation.

The group also said that the Scheduled Caste community has its own cemetery near the colony.

Colony residents say that the cemetery which was used earlier near the Colony is in the wilds.

As the Forest department has installed a Janda (a survey stone marking forest boundaries) there, the place cannot be used as a cemetery anymore.

Besides, the shed built up to facilitate a place for the rituals and last rites in front of the Alamara Cemetery and the compound wall built up around the Cemetery were built using funds from Mutti Panchayath at the cost of Rs 12 lakh.

Hence, the Alamara cemetery is a public cemetery, said the Colony residents.

The colony residents demanded that the cemetery must be open to all and that the ban on those from Scheduled Caste communities from using the cemetery must be removed.