Temple procession goes through Dalit locality after long gap

After a long gap, procession of deities of a temple in a nearby village today passed through a Dalit locality despite protests from a section of the villagers.

The procession of deities of the Putru Mariyamman temple at Keezhavanjur village was taken through the locality with police protection following the intervention of District Collector R Kesavan based on a petition by the Dalits, officials said.

In the petition submitted early this month, the Dalits of the village sought steps to ensure that the temple procession passed through their streets.

An official team led by Karaikal Sub-Collector spoke to different sections of the villagers, including the festival organising committee, and decided to conduct the procession through the Dalit colony, Kesavan told PTI.

While the Dalits claimed that the procession had not gone through their locality for nearly 25 years, the Collector said he was not aware of the exact number of years.

A section of non-Dalit residents lodged their protest by 'leaving' the village.

The Dalits of the village hailed it as a historic moment.