A video of a shopkeeper in the Tenkasi district of Tamil Nadu denying candies to Dalit children stating that they have been ostracised by the village has surfaced online.
The incident happened in Sankara Koil (Sankara Temple) where the shopkeeper, who recorded the entire incident, is heard saying to the kids, “Go tell your parents that we will not sell anything from the people of your street.”
The shopkeeper belongs to the Konnar community, an upper caste that is dominant in the village, activist Shalin Maria Lawrence, who tweeted the video said.
The decision was taken following an incident that took place two years ago when Dalit children were not allowed to play in a local cricket match tournament, the activist added.
Lawrence said that the matter went legal and it is slated to be argued this week in court. “So, the upper caste Konnar community has decided to ostracise the Dalit community,” she added.
When Siasat.com spoke to Lawrence, she confirmed that the shopkeeper has been arrested on Saturday afternoon under Section 153a (Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) Indian Penal Code (IPC)
