September 11 carries a special significance for Tamil Nadu for more than one reason. The date marks the death anniversary of nationalist-poet Subramania Bharati. It is also on this day that Immanuel Sekaran, an activist representing the interests of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in the caste-ridden composite district of Ramanathapuram, was murdered at Paramakudi 68 years ago. The murder led to sensational events, including the arrest of U. Muthuramalinga Thevar, a contemporary of the then Chief Minister, K. Kamaraj, of the Congress and a key political figure of the Forward Bloc. Interestingly, Sekaran spent the day attending a function in memory of Bharati. (In January 1959, Thevar was acquitted of the charge by the trial court at Pudukkottai).
Despite the passage of time, the 1957 events, starting with riots at Mudukulathur, known for the concentration of the SCs, continue to dominate the public discourse. While the SCs were among the adversely impacted people, an incident of the police firing at Keezhathooval, wherein five persons belonging to the Mukkulathors were killed, confounded the situation. It gave rise to an impression that the Congress government of Kamaraj was ill-disposed towards the community. Much has been written on the Mudukulathur episode, with the versions of the two sides presented. A senior citizen, who was in the mid-20s then and who belongs to the Maravar community (which is the denomination of Thevar too), feels that great clarity is still not available on every aspect of the episode and perhaps, more time is required to understand the full import of certain events of 1957.
