Madras High Court seeks status report from Pudukkottai collector on plea over caste discrimination

The caste discrimination angle came to light after locals complained of children falling sick due to contaminated water as some miscreants had mixed human excrement in the overhead water tank meant for the Arunthathiyar community.

Chennai (Tamil Nadu): The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has sought a status report from the Pudukkottai collector, SP and DSP Human Rights and Social Justice wing on a plea filed over caste discrimination in Vengaivayal village in Tamil Nadu's Pudukkottai. Shanmugam filed a petition to the Madurai bench of Madras High court in the morning seeking compensation for more than 30 families who drank human excrement-mixed water in the Pudukottai district.

Human excrement was mixed in an overhead storage tank in Vengaivayal village in the area where the Arunthathiyar community live. Many children reportedly had vomiting and diarrhoea after drinking this water. Two-tumbler system (two-tumbler system: in places like teahouses where the upper classes drink from one tumbler and the other classes from another tumbler) is a practice in those areas.

The petition was taken up for hearing on Wednesday. The two-tumbler system does not allow low castes to enter the temple. The public prosecutor told the court that three cases have been registered regarding mixing human excrement in the overhead storage tank. Following this, the judges have ordered the Pudukottai District Pudukkottai collector, SP and DSP Human Rights and Social Justice wing to submit a status report on the action taken. (ANI)