In KV Kuppam taluk, a Kaliamman temple near Gemmankuppam village in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore was demolished by a group of caste Hindus last week, following a dispute over the exclusion of Dalits from the temple’s Aadi month festivities. The demolition, which occurred despite the temple being under police protection, has sparked controversy and legal action.
According to reports, the dispute began when Dalits in the village were barred from participating in the Aadi month festivities, which were scheduled for August 2. The Dalits, who make up roughly 50% of the village population, had long been involved in the worship at the temple. However, caste Hindus, including members of the Vanniyar, Yadav, Chettiar, and Naidu communities, decided to exclude them from the celebrations.
S Naveen Kumar, a member of the Dalit community who filed the police complaint, explained that the deity at the temple had historically been worshipped by Dalits. Over time, other castes also began worshipping at the temple, leading to rising discrimination against the Dalits. Kumar claimed that the Dalits had contributed to the temple’s construction, but were excluded from its consecration.
The conflict escalated when D Loganathan, a caste Hindu and self-proclaimed medium, claimed that Goddess Kaliamman instructed him in a dream to exclude Dalits from the festivities. This claim was supported by other caste Hindus, leading to heightened tensions.
Despite the Dalits defying the exclusion order and celebrating at the temple on August 2, the situation worsened. On August 6, the temple was demolished using earthmovers, and the idol was taken away. The Dalits alleged that the demolition was supported by the then jurisdictional DSP Ravichandran, although the DSP denied these allegations and stated that the case had been handed over to the revenue department.
The caste Hindus argued that the temple was built solely by Loganathan and expressed no objection to Dalits worshipping there, but refused to celebrate the festival together. The village panchayat president, M Krishnamoorthy, suggested organizing the festival if both parties agreed, otherwise leaving the decision to the villagers.
Gudiyatham revenue officials have scheduled peace committee meetings to address the issue. A senior revenue official acknowledged that, while the temple was on poramboke land, its demolition was inappropriate given its significance to the community. Meanwhile, DSP Ravichandran has been transferred as part of a district-wide police reshuffle.
