‘Temple for all, including Dalits’ banner irks upper caste people in TN

Upper caste Vanniyaars in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district led an intense protest after they took grave objection to a banner reading, ‘Temple is for all, including Dalits,’ that was installed at the Chinnadharapuram Mariamman Temple.

The temple comes under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department. The banner also warned a legal action against those practising caste discrimination. This did not go well with the dominant caste people.

On July 17, thousands of Vanniyar community members gathered at the temple and demanded the immediate removal of the banner. This also caused tension between the Dalit community.

Talks with the local tahsildar and HR&CE officials failed, resulting in damage to the banner, prompting police to intervene and take action against them.

“The department is acting according to the law. The temple is for everyone. No devotee can be denied entry on the basis of caste,” said  HR&CE assistant commissioner, M Ramanikanthan.