Scheduled Caste residents from T. Perumalpatti village near Usilampatti have approached the district administration to petition for equal rights and access to their local Santhana Mariyamman temple.
The villagers said that while both Scheduled Caste and caste Hindu communities resided in the area, the temple remained under the exclusive control of caste Hindu members, who restricted SC residents from entering and worshipping the deity.
According to the petitioners, discriminatory practices extended to temple festivities. They noted that the ceremonial temple car bearing the deity was deliberately kept out of the streets inhabited by SC families. They pointed out that such actions violated their fundamental rights and constituted punishable offences under The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Tensions recently escalated when caste Hindu members allegedly hurled casteist slurs at SC residents and blocked them from participating in festival rituals such as offering eatables to the deity.
Urging immediate intervention, the petitioners requested Collector Nishant Krishna to ensure equal temple access and safety from caste-based discrimination and intimidation.
The incident highlights the persistence of caste-based discrimination in temple access across Tamil Nadu, despite constitutional guarantees and legal provisions. Courts in the state have repeatedly held that temples are public places and that denying entry based on caste is illegal and regressive.
SC residents of T. Perumalpatti seek equal temple access; allege caste-based discrimination at Santhana Mariyamman temple.
When faith is divided by caste, justice must rebuild the temple together.
