Castiest postmaster arrested
The woman postmaster at a branch office in Thirumalayapalayam near Madukkarai was arrested on Tuesday for not allowing Dalits to enter the post office.The arrest follows a report in Express about discrimination against Dalits at the post office functioning out of postmaster Sumati’s house.Perur DSP P Muthuraj, who conducted an inquiry, said he found the allegations against Sumati to be true. Based on a complaint filed by a Dalit youth Balamurugan, a case was registered against her under the PCR Act.The elders wanted the issue to be settled amicably and did not want her to be arrested, but angry youths demanded action. In a counter move, Sumati lodged a complaint against five dalit youths, including Manikandan who gave an interview to this website’s newspaper on Monday, accusing them of abusing and threatening her.However, police sources said the complaint was found to be false. Meanwhile, following media expose and threat by Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam to launch an agitation, postal officials ordered the shifting of the post office to another room in the house.“The post office, hitherto functioning from the living room, has been moved to another room, to which everybody can have access,” said Senior Superintendent of Post Offices P P Arumugam. The kazhagam has withdrawn its planned agitation.
