Dharmapuri (Tamil Nadu): At a time when women empowerment and feminism is celebrated across nations, a shocking incident of untouchability against five women has come to light in Tamil Nadu where the women workers from scheduled castes were served tea in coconut shells instead of cups by the estate owner, who himself had tea in a silver tumbler, sources said.
The incident has been reported from Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu. Sources said that that the five women workers belonging to scheduled castes hailing from Palayampalli village near R.Gopinathampatti next to Morappur in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu, had recently gone to Marappanaickenpatty to work as daily wage workers at an estate.
While working in the agricultural land at Bhuvaneswaran area of Dharmapuri, it is said that the owner of the estate was serving tea to the five women in coconut shells while he himself drank it from a silver tumbler. An official said that one of the victim women, identified as Chelli, lodged a complaint at the Kambainallur police station against the estate owner and his mother-in-law.
In their complaint lodged at the concerned police station, the women daily wage workers said that they were humiliated after being given tea in Coconut shells by the estate owner. Based on the complaint by the women, police under the leadership of Deputy Superintendent of Police Jaganathan, Arur launched an investigation against the accused estate owner Dharani and his mother-in-law Chinnathai.
Later, after the investigation, a case was registered against Dharani and Chinnathai under the Prevention of Atrocities Amendment Act, 2015 under the SC and ST section and they were arrested in the case. The accused duo was produced in court and lodged in Salem Central Jail.
