At least five Dalit children, including a girl, have been booked for allegedly sexually harassing children belonging to a higher caste, the Thevars, in a village near Madurai in Tamil Nadu, reported The Indian Express. The children have been charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. All of the accused are under the age of twelve, The Hindu reported, and were supposedly involved in a scuffle with the other children on their way to school. The charges were filed purportedly at the behest of a ruling party MLA.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Usilampatti) S Ramakrishnan said he had never handled such an unfortunate case in his career. “It could have been settled amicably, but there was huge pressure from the community. Now that the POCSO Act has been enforced, the juvenile justice board will decide their fate,” he added.
The Indian Express quoted a senior police officer who said that All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam legislator and film actor A Karunas pressured the police to file a case against the Dalit children. MLA, however, denied his involvement in the case. “Some partymen told me about this case. But we did not intervene,” he said.
According to The Hindu, one S Velusamy made the complaint to the police, naming the children's parents. The Dalit children's parents are mainly daily-wage labourers, while those of the Thevar children are farm workers. Both sets of children belong to poor families in the village.
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