Six kids thrashed after asking for donation to conduct temple festival

COIMBATORE: Six scheduled caste children were beaten by Natarajan Gownder, residing in Deverayapuram, at his residence, when they had visited his home to ask for donations for a temple festival. The Thondamuthur police have registered a case against Natarajan but said he is absconding. Meanwhile, these children along with their parents petitioned the district collector to speed up Natarajan’s arrest.
S Sabari Mani, 9, S Arvinth Kumar, 8, B Chandru, 10, S Arunagiri, 10, B Vasanth Kumar, 12 and Mohanraj S, 12, had visited Natarajan Gownder’s residence located at Arjuna Colony in Devarayapuram in the city, last week to collect money for a temple function.
“Uncle had invited us inside. He began questioning us as to who had sent us to his house. He then asked us for our parents’ contact numbers. He spoke to Mohanraj’s father Santhosh and asked him to come and pick us up as soon as possible,” said Vasanth Kumar.
“Before he could come pick us up, the uncle took us up to his terrace and began hitting us with a stick. He also began scolding us. We did not know why we were being beaten,” said Chandru.
Santhosh eventually reached Natarajan’s house and picked up the children. “We agree that our children should not have gone house to house to collect donation without our permission but how can someone take them inside and hit them just because of their caste,” said Rangaraj, Vasanth Kumar’s uncle.
He said that for a temple function in their village they had been collecting money for the past few months. Since they needed more money, the children went around town trying to collect funds.
“They were not aware they were entering an area meant exclusively for Gownders. Nataraj had forcefully confined them in his house for more than two hours, beat them up and then called us to pick them up,” he added. The families of these children met the district collector on Monday submitted a petition to her demanding action against Natarajan Gownder.
“We have filed an FIR with the Thondamuthur police on Saturday but they have not taken any action,” said Rangaraj. When contacted, police officials said that they had registered a case and had also filed it in court.
“The accused has absconded and we are on the lookout for him,” said the official. Rangaraj said that their children studied in the corporation school in Devarayapuram and they were all daily wage labourers.