Tamil Nadu: Vengaivayal Residents Plan Election Boycott Over ‘Delay’ In Tank Contamination Probe

In Vengaivayal, 30 Dalit families have displayed banners announcing their boycott of the upcoming election.

The incident in Vengaivayal, which occurred on December 26, 2022, sparked widespread outrage in the state ( Image Source :File Photo )

The residents of Vengaivayal Dalit colony in Muttukadu panchayat, located in Tamil Nadu's Pudukottai district, have declared their discussion to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Their decision stems from dissatisfaction over the authorities' inaction regarding the contamination of the water tank with human excreta. 

Approximately 30 families of Dalit residents in Vengaivayal have prominently displayed banners in the village, indicating their stance on boycotting the polls.

Pudukottai falls within Tiruchirappalli Lok Sabha constituency, where Durai Vaiko, son of MDMK leader Vaiko, is contesting as the candidate for the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. AIADMK has put forward Karuppiah, while the NDA candidate is Senthilnathan of the AMMK.

Residents of the area have issued a stern warning to boycott the upcoming elections following the failure of the state police's CB-CID to arrest those responsible for contaminating the overhead drinking water tank with human feces in the village. The incident, which occurred on December 26, 2022, sparked widespread outrage in the state, with allegations pointing towards individuals from either the upper or intermediary castes as the perpetrators, as per a report on PTI.

The CB-CID have hit a roadblock since there was no direct evidence in the case.

Talking to IANS, Vengaivayal Dalit colony resident K. Shailaja said: "It is going to be two years since the incident took place, but we haven’t got justice yet. We have been traumatised and there was serious investigation when the issue hit the headlines and now nothing is happening. Politicians come to us only during elections and we have decided to boycott the ensuing Lok Sabha polls."

"People of the village were not even able to travel by bus to another village to attend even a family function as police suspect that we may be going for protest," she added.