In the midst of growing outrage from the activists against the Tamil Nadu police department in its approach of probing a shocking caste crime in Vengavayal in the Pudukottai district, popular Tamil director Pa Ranjith has joined a league of activists condemning the police for not taking action against the prepetrators. 

On Friday - January 13, Pa Ranjith took to Twitter and came down hard on the police and the state government for not initiating proper action against the accused, who mixed fetes in an overhead water tank that provides water to Dalits living in Vengavayal. Ranjith further alleged that the police are forcing the victims to accept that they did the crime, the allegation which has been raised by several Dalit activists. 

Ranjith is known for being a vocal critic against the injustices on Dalit people and as the probe of the Vengavayal caste crime is taking a wrong turn, as alleged by the activists, Ranjith has come up with a strong criticism against the government. Ranjith wrote, "Social injustice continues! Strong condemnations to the Tamil Nadu police department for threatening the victims, under the guise of investigation, to confess to the crime without trying to identify the perpetrators in the case of mixing human fetes in a water tank in Pudukottai's Vengavayal." 

Ranjith further wrote, "Strong codemnations to the Adi Dravida Welfare Minister (Kayalvizhi Selvaraj) who didn't have the courage to meet the people who faced atrocities and to the members of the Legislative assembly for not working for the Scheduled people." His criticism has come when the state ministers and legislators are being slammed for not taking time to meet the Dalit people who faced the startling injustice. 

Along with Ranjith, Dalit Rights Activist Evidence Kathir has also alleged that the police are trying to make the victims to confess to the crime. Ranjith's tweet has come two days after Chief Minister MK Stalin told the assembly that the government is taking all the measures to safeguard the interest of Dalits in Vengavayal. In the late December 2022, five Dalit children in the village were hospitalized after drinking the contaminated water from the tank.

Following their hospitalization, the Dalit residents checked the water tank and shocked to see that the water was mixed with human fetes. After the issue came to light, Pudukottai Collector Kavitha Ramu and Superintendent of Police Vanditha Pandey rushed to the village and investigated the matter. During their visit, the Dalit residents divulged how caste is dominating their soil. They said that they weren't allowed to enter the village temple for decades as they belong to the backward caste.

The Collector then took them to the temple and she offered prayers along with them. There was also an inhumane event of keeping two separate glasses at a tea shop. While one is for the upper caste, the another is kept for Dalits and after inspecting the tea shop, the Collector had ordered the police to arrest the tea shop owner and the priest and his wife for not allowing the backward people to worship in the temple. The tank was cleaned with bleach on December 26 and the pipe connections were replaced. However, it's been over two weeks and the police are yet to identify the perpetrators. 

வன்கொடுமைகள் எதிர்க்கொண்ட மக்களை சந்திக்க துணிவில்லாத ஆதி திராவிட நலத்துறை அமைச்சருக்கும், பட்டியலின மக்களுக்காக எந்த நடவடிக்கைகளிலும் செயல்படாத கழகங்களின் தனத்தொகுதி சட்ட மன்ற உறுப்பினர்களுக்கும் வன்மையான கண்டனங்கள்!

— pa.ranjith (@beemji) January 13, 2023