Drone Attack on Dalit Land — SC Farmers Face ?2 Lakh Crop Loss from Chemical Spraying and False Accusations by Caste Hindus in TN Village

The farmers invested Rs. 55,000 (at the rate of Rs. 10,000 per acre) for cultivating urad, sesame, and cotton crops on approximately 5.50 acres of land. The crops had matured and were ready for harvest.

Geetha Sunil Pillai

Tiruvannamalai- In Arungunam village, Tiruvannamalai district, Tamil Nadu, a bitter caste-based dispute over land ownership has escalated into harassment and violence against Scheduled Caste (SC) farmers.

The land in question, classified as Panchami or Depressed Class (DC) land, was originally allocated to Dalit families during the British era to uplift them socially and economically.

However, decades of fraudulent land transfers and bureaucratic delays have led to a contentious situation where both SC farmers and caste Hindus, primarily from the Reddiyar community, claim ownership.

The conflict has taken a sinister turn, with caste Hindus using drone to destroy crops and filing false cases against the SC farmers.

The recent flashpoint occurred on February 11, 2025, when caste Hindus, allegedly led by K. Harshavarthini, used drones to spray herbicide on black gram and sesame crops cultivated by SC farmers on seven acres of Panchami land.

The crops, ready for harvest, were completely destroyed, causing an estimated loss of ?2,00,000 to the farmers. The affected farmers, including M. Sukumar and his brother M. Thilakaraj and a cousin V. Annamalai, had been cultivating the land peacefully for the past six months after it was restored to them by the district administration.

Thilakaraj, in his complaint, detailed how he had invested ?55,000 in cultivating the land, only to see his efforts destroyed in a matter of minutes. He also recounted being threatened and abused by caste Hindus while attempting to irrigate his fields just days before the incident.

The Mooknayak reached out to the affected farmers who shared their plight in detail. ” We belong to the Scheduled Caste community. The government had allocated Panchami land to my grandfather in Anganam village, Survey No. 216/1, 216/2A, 216/2B, 216/3. People from another community fraudulently encroached upon the above-mentioned Panchami land by deceptively changing the land records in the computer system. We filed a complaint with the RDO of Cheyyar regarding this matter. Based on our complaint, the patta (land deed) registered in the name of people from the other community was canceled.” Sukumar said.

Subsequently, the family had been peacefully cultivating the above-mentioned Panchami land for the past six months. They invested Rs. 55,000 (at the rate of Rs. 10,000 per acre) for cultivating urad (black gram), sesame, and cotton crops on approximately 5.50 acres of land. The urad, cotton, and sesame plants had matured and was ready for harvest.

” I harvested urad from about 20 cents of land on February 10 and kept some at home, with the rest still in the field. On February 11 around 11 AM, I went to the field to collect the urad crops that I had harvested a day ago. At that time, Harshavardhini from Reddiyar community of Nallur village, who had been encroaching, arrived with more than 15 people in two cars and on two-wheelers. She looked at me and gestured threateningly. She also told her people, “Don’t let them survive even one plant, spray weed killer everywhere,” Thilakaraj stated.

He further added, “The men sprayed weed killer using a drone. Witnessing this act, I suffered severe physical and mental distress. I begged them not to spray the chemicals as the crops would be destroyed, but they ignored my pleas and continued spraying. When I tried to go and stop them from spraying, they blocked my path and threatened me. They made threatening gestures, abused me using obscene language, and threatened to “finish me off right here” if I didn’t leave the land. Due to the spraying of chemicals, the urad, sesame, and cotton crops have been destroyed. This has caused me a loss of approximately Rs. 2 lakhs.”

The brothers’ complaints outline multiple confrontations. On February 8, Sukumar described being ambushed while returning from installing an irrigation pump on their land.

“After installing the diesel engine, I was intercepted on the road by Harshavardhini, who blocked my path with her car,” Kumar stated. “She made threatening gestures, hurled casteist slurs, and called someone named Yakko saying ‘I’ve detained them here.”

According to him, Ramesh, a member of the Vanniyar community from Kondaiyanguppam village, soon arrived at the scene. Both individuals allegedly threatened Sukumar’s life, with parting words: “You’ve escaped today, but I will finish you off someday.”

Adding to their woes, Harshavarthini, filed a false complaint against the SC farmers under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998, alleging that they had attacked and harassed her.

This retaliatory move has further complicated the legal battle and exposed the farmers to additional harassment. The SC farmers, on their part, have sought action under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, but no arrests or investigations have been initiated by the police.

Sukumar said, “The lack of action by authorities has emboldened caste Hindus, who continue to threaten and intimidate us. Harshavarthini has filed a false case against us just to evade punishment for the crime she and her people committed by destroying our crops.”

Sukumar, who is also an advocate, said caste discrimination has always prevailed in the village; however, Dalit people are often not aware of their rights due to illiteracy and lack of legal and political awareness. “We are first-generation learners in our family and have studied law. We won’t step back until we gain rightful justice and the wrongdoers are punished,” he asserted. Sukumar is also an active member of CPI(M).

Cheyyar Sub-Collector assigned investigation

Upon the complaint given to Tehsildar and police station, the district administration too has taken up an enquiry. A team led by Cheyyar Sub-Collector Pallavi Varma has been entrusted with the task to probe into the allegations of destroying crops raised by the SC farmers. ” We are told the sub collector would be investigating on the complaint but she has not visited our land yet” Sukumar said.

Meanwhile, the SC farmers have been warned against cultivating on the land before the issue was amicably settled, as there may be law and order problems.

The Land Dispute and Present Ownership

The dispute centers around panchami land in Anganam village that originally belonged to Sukumar’s grandfather, S. Chinnathambi, but later changed ownership multiple times among caste Hindus, ultimately being purchased by N. Karunakaran who transferred it to his wife, Harshavarthini.

After intervention by the Untouchability Eradication Front, the Cheyyar Revenue Divisional Officer investigated and found the land classified as “Depressed Class (DC) land” in official records – historically allocated to Dalits by the British government for socioeconomic upliftment.

While the land was subsequently transferred back to the Dalit family with manual patta changes, the online records weren’t updated due to procedural delays, creating a situation where both parties claim ownership.

The conflict has escalated beyond land rights, with Dalits filing complaints under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act while Harshavarthini has countered with complaints under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, highlighting how land disputes in this region frequently intersect with caste dynamics and procedural bureaucratic challenges.

What is Panchami Land?

Panchami land refers to the land granted exclusively to Dalits in Tamil Nadu under British rule in 1892, following the recommendations of Chingleput collector J.H.A. Tremenheere, who documented their socio-economic hardships.

The British administration enacted the Depressed Classes Land Act through Government Order No. 1010/10-A (Revenue), leading to the allocation of 12 lakh acres for Dalit ownership. These lands were meant to be inalienable, prohibiting sale or reclassification.

However, over time, non-Dalit individuals and entities have taken control of significant portions through unauthorized transfers and official misappropriations.

The Tamil Nadu government has also reallocated some of these lands for industrial and economic projects, such as Special Economic Zones. Various social movements continue to push for the restoration of these lands to their rightful Dalit owners. Several state-level committees have been formed since 1991 to investigate the illegal encroachments and recommend measures for recovery.

Courtesy : The Mooknayak

Note: This news is originally published in themooknayak.com and was used solely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights