The Karur district administration has issued an eviction notice to members of the Thottia Naicker community in Muthuladampatti for constructing a wall on government poramboke land, allegedly to block the free movement of Dalit residents from the Arunthathiyar community. Officials say the wall, made of concrete blocks, was found to obstruct access after an inquiry.
Karur Revenue Divisional Officer M Mohammed Byzal said, “An eviction notice has been issued to the members of the Thottia Naicker community for putting up the wall. It was found to be blocking movement for the Arunthathiyar community.”
The Arunthathiyar residents claim the wall — nearly 200 feet long and 10 feet high — was an “untouchability wall” built to segregate them. They said they had been pushing for part of the 1.25-acre land to build a drama stage and toilet when construction of the wall began. The land had reportedly been under the informal possession of the Thottia Naicker community for years.
The Thottia Naicker community, however, denies any caste-based motive. “We built the wall to stop drunkards from entering our area and creating trouble,” they said, rejecting the allegation that it was meant to restrict Dalits’ movement.
Dalit residents also alleged that they were told not to wear slippers when passing through the Thottia Naicker area. “We found no evidence of that during our inspection,” the RDO said. “However, during the peace meeting, we strongly advised against such practices if at all they had occurred.”
Two peace meetings have been held between the communities, the latest on July 29 with the tahsildar and other district officials.
