Catholic fraternities ruptured in this TN village when Dalits asked for equality

TNM visited two villages in Trichy of Tamil Nadu – Ayyampatti and Kottapalayam – where Dalit Christians are fighting against the discrimination they face from the dominant caste Christians.

Written by :Azeefa Fathima

Edited by :Nandini Chandrashekar

“Your status as Paraiyar will never change…Your religion might change, but not your caste. Wherever you go, you will have a separate burial ground.”

This shocking statement was delivered by the Tahsildar of Thiruverumbur taluk in Tamil Nadu, T Jayaprakash, at a public meeting on July 20, 2023. He was addressing Dalit Christians at a peace committee after they brought a complaint to him about caste-based discrimination. They alleged that they were dealing with extreme segregation in every aspect of village and church life at the hands of dominant caste Christians in their village as well as caste Hindus.

So ingrained is the discrimination that when a priest explained how there was no caste system in Christianity, the caste Christians and Hindus conspired to chase him out of the village.

Courtesy : TNM

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