By Sruti MD / News Click
Massive violence broke out on the premises of Sakthi International, a private school in Kallakurichi district in north Tamil Nadu, on July 17. Hundreds of young men vandalised the institution and set ablaze over 15 vehicles demanding justice for the mysterious death of a Class XII girl Srimathi, a student of the school.
The girl’s body was found in the hostel block on the school campus on July 13. The deceased’s parents alleged that their daughter’s death was a “planned murder” and demanded justice. However, the family distanced itself from the violence.
The Madras high court said the sudden violence did not appear to be a mere act of provocation but “an organised crime.” The court directed the state police to identify the miscreants and subject them to prosecution.
The police have so far arrested more than 300 persons and booked them under sections of rioting, damage and loss of public property, among others.
No official information regarding who instigated the violence is available as yet. But, those on the ground say it was not a spontaneous riot, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had a hand in it.
BJP LIKELY INVOLVED
Palani, the Secretary of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Kallakurichi district, said, “We knew the situation was going to turn violent on Sunday. Some youngsters belonging to the deceased’s community spoke about it on Saturday. We have been protesting since Wednesday but withdrew upon hearing talks of violence.”
The girl belonged to the Agamudayar Thevar community.
“The reluctance of the police to take appropriate steps for four long days gave leeway for anti-social elements to organise a riot,” added Palani.
“The issue was boiling on the ground and social media, but the officials gave no attention. The youth were already agitated, and we hear BJP instigated them.”
“Moreover, the police could have easily contained the rioters. The arrests could have been done before the riot. There is a battalion in Ulundurpettai that could have been summoned. It looked like the police were hand-in-glove in the riot.”
At least 17 police personnel were injured in the Kallakurichi riots.
Palani suggested a possible “link between BJP, the police and the school administration.”
Swaminathan, a senior journalist with Tamil daily Theekkathir, said, “We cannot eliminate the possibility that the riot was organised to divert the issue from the girl’s mysterious death and to wipe out evidence from the crime site.”
The Sakthi International school correspondent Ravikumar is said to have close ties with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The RSS character training programme for the Kaniyamoor Panchayat, Chinnasalem, was held in the school.
Leaders of the ruling party in the state Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) say that the right-wing instigated the violence to bring disrepute to the government.
“There is no room for another “Tuticorin incident” in this government. We will continue to expose the Sanghis that provoke,” read a tweet by TRB Raaja, DMK MLA from Mannargudi. He refers to the May 22, 2018, incident when police opened fire at a protest against the Sterlite Copper Smelter Plant owned by Vedanta and killed 13 people.
MYSTERIOUS DEATHS
This is not the first time a Sakthi International school student died within the institution’s premises in Kallakurichi.
In 2004, a Class VII student, A Raja, drank pesticide and died by suicide after being allegedly abused by a teacher. In 2005, an LKG student, Prahteeksha, allegedly died accidentally hit by the school bus.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) gave a call for protest on December 29, 2005, demanding the withdrawal of permission for the school, claiming that “the school is running with the sole aim of minting money from the students, and does not care about the wellness of the poor students.”
The pamphlet calling for protest read, “Yesterday, Raja. Today, Pratheeksha. Tomorrow, who?”
Swaminathan, said, “Many instances of death in educational institutions are closed off as suicides or investigations are never completed. In 2016, three private college students were found dead in a well near Villupuram; the case is still not closed.
Kallakurichi District was formed in 2019 by bifurcating Viluppuram district. “We see that the police often have an illegal association with educational institutions and help them escape the crime,” he added.
This article first appeared in newsclick.in
