By IANS,
New Delhi : The National Human Rights Commission Tuesday issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government over news reports of 50 Scheduled Castes families being forced to live in enclosures fenced by barbed wire in Tuticorin district.
“We have issued notice to Tamil Nadu’s chief secretary asking him to submit a report within four weeks,” an NHRC official said.
The Dalit families, residing in 50 houses at Velayuthapuram village were leading isolated lives with no basic facilities like sanitation and water, the news reports alleged.
“The community is enclosed with a barbed fence that separated it from other parts of the village,” added the official.
Members of upper caste Rettiars own all the agricultural land in Velayuthapuram and do not employ members of the Scheduled Castes, who travel to other villages to find employment.
The commission observed that the media report, if true, pointed to serious violation of human rights of Dalits.