Washermen banned from temple fest, threaten to return ration cards

A section of residents from Kenjampatti belonging to Washerman community submitted a petition to Collector K Veeraraghava Rao, complaining that they were not being allowed to participate in the annual festival of the Sri Kaliamman Muthalamman Temple, which is scheduled to commence on Tuesday, by members of the dominant caste of the same village. They have also threatened to return their ration cards. 

Sangili Murugan, a member of Washerman community, claimed that members of their caste were discriminated in all possible ways. They were being denied grocery and other items in the local shops and when women go to fetch drinking water from public wells or taps, men of dominant caste bathe there creating an embarrassing situation for them, he alleged. 

The only reason why their community was staying put in the same village, he claimed, was because of the Sri Kaliamman Muthalamman Temple. 

“In such a situation, if our community is not allowed to participate in the temple festival, we have no other option but to end our lives,” Sangili Murugan said adding that they had come to surrender their ration cards to seek an immediate solution. 

The Collector, who received their petition, promised that a team would be deputed to their village by Monday evening and ensure that they participate in the temple festival without any problem. 

But members of dominant community, who also submitted a petition to the Collector, claimed that members of the Washerman community do not have any right to participate in the temple festival and even the court had issued a direction in this regard. 

When the court order was verified it was said that the temple festival should be conducted like the previous years and status quo must be maintained.