On Wednesday, officials of Villupuram district took the decision to seal the Sri Draupathi Amman temple in Melpathi village due to rising tensions between the dalit and vanniyar communities regarding access to the shrine. In response to the order given by Villupuram RDO S Ravichandran, the temple was sealed and the order was posted onto the temple door. The order stated that representatives from both communities must appear for an inquiry and submit their written statements before Ravichandran by 10am on Friday.
Once the written statements have been obtained, a further inquiry will be conducted and a final decision will be made on the matter. Until a final decision is reached, the temple will remain sealed as stated by Ravichandran in the order. Villupuram SP Shashank Sai confirmed that the situation has now normalized and a heavy police presence has been withdrawn. He also stated that no new cases have been registered following recent developments. There are currently four cases against individuals from both communities that were filed a few days ago, although no arrests have been made thus far.
Tensions between the vanniyar and dalit communities regarding entry into the temple have been ongoing since April 7. The vanniyars have denied the dalits access to the temple for worship. Members of both communities have accused each other. Representatives of the vanniyar community argue that the temple belongs to them and they alone have the right to worship in the 300-year-old temple. Subash Varman from Melpathi stated, “The land belongs to Murugesa Gounder and our community members constructed the temple with their money. Why should we allow others inside the temple?” The dalits in the village, however, argue that they too have the right to offer prayers. K Kathiravan, a dalit from Melpathi, recounted how he was prevented from entering the temple on April 7 and was surrounded and beaten by over 40 people from the vanniyar community.