The DMK Government in Tamil Nadu led by Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin has nipped in the bud itself an attempt by anti social elements to foment communal trouble in Coimbatore.
A video of a self-proclaimed Dalit leader who was working as a village assistant officer in Annur village office in Coimbatore district has gone viral in the social media as well as TV channels in the State in which the former was seen falling at the feet of a visitor to the office. Muthusamy, the VAO was heard pleading to the visitor, who has been identified as leader of a dominant community, to spare his life and not to harm him. The visitor, whose name is Gopinath, stood bewildered as Muthusamy wailed and lamented that he may be apologised for questioning the former.
The entire act that took place on August 6 was recorded and aired in the social media which drew instant condemnation from civil rights groups and leaders of the Dravida Kazhakam much to the dilemma of the State administration.
The district collector ordered an instant probe which brought out the conspiracy behind the video. It turned out that Gopinath, a farmer had gone to the village office with a plea to change the name in the title deed of a plot of land bequeathed to him by his late father. Though he had submitted all relevant certificates and the fees, the village assistant assaulted him and pushed him down.
Then he started pleading with Gopinath and prostrated before the latter seeking pardon for ‘standing up to a high caste man’. But in the video that went viral Muthusamy is heard alleging that Gopinath had made casteist slur on the former. There was a demand by rights group to initiate criminal proceedings against Gopinath under the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1988.
The stand off resulted in community leader G K Nagaraj and hundreds of Gounders holding a demonstration in front of the village office demanding action against the perpetrators of the crime.
‘By Tuesday evening , the unedited version of the video surfaced in which Muthusamy is seen assaulting Gopinath and then falling at the latter’s feet. “This has been the pattern here. There are attempts to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere in the region by certain groups which have to be probed in detail,” said Nagaraj.
The district collector said that both the village administrative officer and assistant have been transferred and posted in another office for their indecent behaviour.