Residents of Eraiyur and Vengaivayal villages in Pudukkottai district have announced a boycott of the upcoming elections, demanding the arrest of the “real culprits” in the 2022 Vengaivayal water contamination case.
Human faeces were found dumped in an overhead drinking water tank in Vengaivayal, a Dalit habitation, in December 2022. The incident came to light on December 26, when a young girl fell ill and was hospitalised after consuming the contaminated water. A case was registered under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act at the Vellanur Police Station.
The probe was later transferred to the CB-CID, which filed the charge-sheet after conducting scientific examinations, including DNA and voice sample analyses.
The agency named three persons — J. Muraliraja, 32, B. Sudharshan, 20, and K. Muthukrishnan, 22 — as accused. Two persons were allegedly involved in enforcing the two-tumbler system and using a caste slur, while another reportedly prevented the District Collector from entering the premises.
Villagers, however, allege that the investigation failed to identify the “actual perpetrators”, and that the court hearings saw repeated adjournments. “Every month, four persons from our village attend court, but the trial does not progress,” said M. Kathiresan of Eraiyur.
