Chennai, Feb 12 : The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a Dalit political party in Tamil Nadu, has announced plans for widespread protests across the state against the recent report by the state Crime Branch in the Vengaivayal case.

The case pertains to the December 2022 incident in which human faeces were found in an overhead drinking water tank supplying to Dalit households in Vengaivayal, Pudukkottai district. The Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) of the Tamil Nadu Police recently informed the Madras High Court that the case had been solved, and a charge sheet was filed against three individuals -- all Dalits.

On January 20, a charge sheet was submitted before a special court for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act cases in Pudukkottai, naming J. Muraliraja (33), B. Sudharshan (21), and K. Muthukrishnan (23) as the accused. Interestingly all the three named in the charge sheet are Dalits. They were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 277 (defiling water), Section 427 (committing mischief), Section 201 (destroying evidence), and Section 109 (abutment).

In December 2022, human faeces were discovered floating in an overhead water tank constructed by the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board under the Cauvery Combined Water Supply Scheme. The contamination led to several children falling ill, prompting resident R. Kanagaraj to file a complaint with the Vellanur police. Reports emerged that some young villagers had climbed up the tank and confirmed the presence of faeces. The discovery caused widespread outrage, leading to massive protests, particularly from Dalit organisations, including the VCK.

In response, the Tamil Nadu government transferred the case to the CB-CID. Despite the CB-CID's charge sheet, the VCK has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the investigation, arguing that the charge sheet should not be treated as the final report.

The party has been demanding an independent judicial inquiry into the incident.

According to sources within the VCK, party leader and Member of Parliament Thol Thirumavalavan is awaiting the Tamil Nadu government's response regarding the constitution of a one-man judicial commission to probe the matter further.

Thirumavalavan had personally met Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, urging him to appoint either a retired Supreme Court judge or a retired High Court judge to lead the investigation.

At a recent high-level party meeting in Chennai, attended by both VCK Lok Sabha MPs -- Thol Thirumavalavan and D. Ravikumar, a decision was made to escalate protests if the government fails to set up the judicial commission promptly.

The Vengaivayal issue has put the ruling DMK under pressure, as the VCK is a key constituent of the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu. Speculation has arisen that the VCK may reconsider its alliance with the DMK, as the handling of the case has reportedly affected the party's core Dalit vote bank. With the VCK intensifying its demand for justice, the Tamil Nadu government now faces mounting pressure to take further action in the case.

/IANS