Elderly woman allegedly stops Dalit students from using common path, booked

Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu), Sep 27 (PTI) A case was registered against a woman and her family members by the local police here after a group of students belonging to a Dalit community were allegedly denied access to use a common path located nearby, police said.

A video of the incident went viral on social media.

In the video, some students clad in school uniforms and holding bags are seen walking on the lane in Kollangarai village in Thanjavur Taluk on Friday morning. An elderly woman blocks them with a stick and shouts at them not to use the path.

A senior official of the Thanjavur Taluk police said a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered.

"No arrests have been made so far. An FIR has been registered against the woman and family members. Investigation is going on," the official told PTI on Saturday.

It is reportedly said the villagers complained that they were being denied entry by family members to use the common path, which is considered as 'vandi pathai' or 'vehicle route'.

Earlier, the villagers alleged that they were forced to take a longer route covering 1.5 km distance around a waterbody to reach their respective destination. PTI VIJ VIJ KH