Chennai, Dec 3: A Class 8 schoolboy named Mani from Chromepet demonstrated today in support of Dalits involved in the violence at Dr. Ambedkar Law College on Novemeber 12.
“We have to defend ourselves from upper caste thugs from outside (of Chennai) if we have to study in college,” he said as he joined around 70 supporters of the Revolutionary Students’ Youth Front (RSYF) held in front of Memorial Hall at Park Town here today.
The speakers at the event accused the media of sensationalism and not investigating the root cause of the violence which, they claimed, was discrimination against Dalits.
Veeraswami of the Peoples Art & Literary Association (PALA) said upper caste students would not eat with Dalits and mocked them when they received the SC/ST scholarships.
“They pass comments like, ‘You coolies who live off gruel we give you in villages don’t wear slippers there, yet you show off with shoes here.’ Dalits were attacked during exams. Finally when the three main sub-castes of Dalits jointly resolved to hit back, this violence broke out,” said Veeraswami.
D. Ganesan, joint secretary, RSYF Chennai, said that with the closure of the hostel and canteen, the Rs.1000 SC/ST scholarship is too little to survive. Ganesan suspects a conspiracy by politicians, police and the media, to project a bad image of students, so that students lose the sympathy of the public.
“By tainting students as rowdies, police action to crush student struggles becomes easier and the government can continue to neglect reform in education,” he said.
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