Elderly woman seeks protection after village ostracism for filing police complaint

A 71-year-old woman from Mathavankurichi near Udangudi approached district authorities on Monday, pleading for protection after she and her husband were allegedly ostracised by villagers for lodging a police complaint.

V Radha, the petitioner, stated during the grievance redressal meet at the collectorate that the village headman and a committee had socially boycotted her and her husband, Velayutham, a palmyra climber. The alleged action followed their complaint to the Kulasekarapattinam police against a local man, Suyambulingam.

Radha claimed Suyambulingam had damaged the fence around the palmyra grove they had leased, entered the property without permission, and illegally extracted palm juice. She further alleged that he threatened them with harm. After they filed a complaint, the village committee, acting under the directive of a Chennai-based community group, reportedly ordered the couple to apologise. When they refused, the social boycott began.

According to Radha, villagers were instructed not to provide them drinking water or permit them to take part in temple events, isolating them from community life.

Advocate Jeyachandran, who accompanied Radha, argued that the actions violated their constitutional rights and demanded the collector take action for the human rights breach. Attempts by TNIE to contact Collector K Elambahavath were unsuccessful.

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