Irayur village in Tamil Nadu's Pudukottai has made a new beginning.
After a horrific case of caste horror in which human excrement was found mixed with drinking water consumed by the Scheduled Castes community, Irayur village in Tamil Nadu's Pudukottai has made a new beginning.
After generations of Scheduled Castes not being allowed inside the village temple, Minister Meyyanathan and Pudukottai collector Kavitha Ramu gave them a traditional welcome.
"For the first time after a problem, all three castes together performed puja after the collector took us inside. We are very happy. We are only asking for our rights, not for anyone else's property," said Lata, a villager.
They held puja thalis with broken coconuts and everyone prayed together. The local administration made sure that people of all castes conducted the prayer rituals together at the temple.
"For three generations, we were denied entry to the temple. We are very happy this has happened in my lifetime. What my father and grandfather could not see, my generation has managed to see," said another villager, Loganathan.
There was also community cooking in a single massive vessel at the temple and distribution of pongal as prasad for all.
"Irayur in Pudukottai has made a new beginning which we hope will be emulated throughout the state. That is what we hope as a probe committee," said Guru Sriram, BJP probe committee member.
This happy ending comes just two days after it was found out that human excrement had suspiciously been mixed with drinking water in a tank serving the needs of the Scheduled Castes community.
No arrests have been made in the case. The grand public entry by the Scheduled Castes community into the temple, led by a minister and the collector, sent a strong message to ease tensions and promote inter-caste amity.