Around 8 of the 11 persons who were called for DNA testing in connection with Vengavayal case failed to appear at Pudukuttoi Government Medical College. On Tuesday, 11 people were summoned for DNA testing in the case related to the dumping of human excreta in water tank used by the Dalits for storing drinking water.
The 11 persons including three women are residents of Vengavayal, Eraiyur and Keezhamuthukadu villages. Of the 11 people, only four people including a policeman appeared at Pudukuttoi Government Medical College for DNA testing on Tuesday. Eight people skipped the call, said a report by Minambalam.
The police started doing DNA tests after a directive from a Pudukkottai special court. The court directed to collect samples so that it could be compared to the fecal matter that had been collected from the overhead water tank by the CB-CID.
The court also directed that an assistant professor from the Government Medical College and Hospital, Pudukottai, collect the blood samples on FTA cards or chemically-treated filter paper.
In Vengavayal of Pudukottai, the villagers kept falling ill with dysentery and food poisoning. On the suggestion of the doctors, the residents conducted a test on drinking water and found human excreta in the water stored in an overhead water tank.
The police started the investigations into the case in December. Several Dalit outfits, including the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) also started to stage protests and have been insisting on transferring the case to the CBI.
Currently, the Crime Branch CID is investigating the case. The DNA test is being conducted to identify the people whose feces were found in the overhead water tank.
Meanwhile, the Dalits were also not allowed to pray in the temple. Later, with the intervention of Pudukottai Collector and DSP, the Dalits were made to enter the temple in the vicinity.