Social activists in Tamil Nadu have urged the government to take action after two glaring incidents of caste discrimination came out in a month in the state.
Earlier, a section of Dalits in Madurai's P Subulapuram district claimed that they were denied permission to cremate the body of their kin in the common burial ground. For years, the members of the Dalit community have been forced to perform last rites of their loved ones in a cremation ground kept separate for them.
However, due to the rains this time, the cremation ground was not accessible and the lower community members were denied entry to the common cremation ground allegedly by men from the upper caste community.
The body of the deceased was kept in the pouring rain with no access to the cremation ground. The family was later left with no option but to burn the body with petrol.
The activists against untouchability who visited the spot to look into the allegations of caste discrimination in the village on Saturday claimed that they were shocked to find the difficult situation the Dalits had to endure. They have also urged that state government to intervene in the matter and take stock of the situation.