Revenue officials order Caste Hindus to remove alleged 'untouchability wall' in TN's Karur
Karur: Revenue authorities in Karur district on Thursday issued an eviction notice for the removal of an alleged "untouchability wall" constructed by members of a Caste Hindu community on a 1.25-acre stretch of government poramboke land in Muthuladampatti.
The action follows complaints by Dalit residents who alleged that the wall was erected to block their access to the area, raising concerns of caste-based discrimination. Officials stated that the notice was issued to prevent any communal tensions or untoward incidents, The New Indian Express reported.
Karur Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) M Mohammed Byzal confirmed that he had served an eviction notice to members of the Thottia Naicker community, who built a wall using concrete blocks, allegedly obstructing access for the Arunthathiyar community.
Karur Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) M Mohammed Byzal confirmed that an eviction notice was served to members of the Thottia Naicker community, who constructed the wall using concrete blocks. The structure allegedly obstructs access for the Arunthathiyar community, a Scheduled Caste group.
“Despite being warned during a peace meeting held on July 29, 2025, convened following a complaint lodged by Dalit residents on July 11, that members of a particular community went ahead and constructed the wall on government poramboke land, which is a violation of norms. Hence, we have issued a notice for its immediate removal,” TNIE quoted RDO Byzal as saying.
Muthuladampatti, located within Karur city limits, is home to around 200 families from the Caste Hindu community and about 45 Dalit families. The disputed land, informally under the control of the Caste Hindus for years, houses a temple and a drama stage. Dalits in the locality have reportedly been demanding a portion of this land to build a drama stage and public toilet—requests that have gone unfulfilled for years.
Members of the Caste Hindu community suddenly began constructing a 200-foot-long, 10-foot-high wall separating the two settlements. Dalit residents described the structure as a “wall of untouchability,” accusing the builders of deliberately attempting to segregate communities and limit their movement. They also claimed the wall was financed through contributions from every Caste Hindu household in the area, added the report.
However, members of the Caste Hindu community have denied the allegations, stating that the wall was intended to protect the land they have occupied for decades and to prevent it from being used for other purposes, such as the construction of a stage or toilet.
Following orders from District Collector M Thangavel, RDO Byzal conducted an inquiry and formally issued the eviction notice, instructing the immediate removal of the structure.
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'Rear-guard action': BJP over Mamata accepting sports minister's resignation after Messi event
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accepting Aroop Biswas' resignation as the state sports minister is nothing but a "rear-guard action" to douse public anger over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week.
BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that this is also an "open confession" that the Messi event fiasco was not accidental but a government-manufactured disaster, borne out of the poor governance of Banerjee, her ministers and the state bureaucracy.
Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Biswas' resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.
Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.
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Reacting to the development, Malviya said in a post on X, "TMC Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigns after the Messi fiasco and Mamata Banerjee accepts it in record time."
"Do not mistake this for accountability; this is nothing but a rear-guard action to douse public anger. anger! This is not 'Raj Dharma'," he added.
The BJP leader alleged that the incident was the outcome of "loot" of common people which is "so synonymous" with the TMC.
The incident was also the outcome of the "shameless VIP culture that TMC thrives on and deep-rooted cronyism promoted by Banerjee," he charged.
Malviya further alleged that Biswas' resignation exposes a "collective failure of Mamata Banerjee, her partisan bureaucracy, and her crony cabinet".
"This is a symbolic sacrifice, a political hoax, soon to be buried under layers of bureaucracy, with no justice, no accountability, and no remorse," the BJP leader said, adding, "No resignation will bring back the time lost, the money wasted, or the stolen chance for football lovers to witness Messi in Kolkata."
