A Tamil Nadu village where Section 144 was in force for over a decade 

Pandiyankuppam, near Chinnasalem in Kallakurichi district, recently witnessed a festive gathering of its residents not seen for more than a decade. The village hogged the limelight by holding its first Gram Sabha meeting on May 1, after a gap of nearly 11 years. The last meeting was held in 2012 when the village was part of the composite Villupuram district.

After years of tension, members of two communities shook hands, sat alongside each other, and took part in the Gram Sabha proceedings. The biggest binding factor in this initiative was the persistent efforts of the district administration and the Directorate of Rural Development at ending the hostilities.

Pandiyankuppam has three communities (the MBCs, the Scheduled Castes and the Arunthathiyars). Of them, representatives of the MBCs and the Scheduled Castes had been at loggerheads since 2012, effectively derailing decisions, meant for common good, taken at the Gram Sabha meetings, which are held on four occasions every year.

Sellamuthu, a resident, recalled that trouble erupted during the festival of the Mariamman temple on July 30, 2012. “There was a dispute between the two communities over the right to pull the chariot of the presiding deity. This led to heated arguments. Though the festival ended peacefully that evening, the dispute spilled into a cultural programme organised on the occasion, resulting in skirmishes. With the dispute refusing to die down, the district administration invoked Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to prevent the trouble from escalating,” he said.

Police pickets were posted and the hostilities deepened. Though peace talks were also held in between to restore calm, the administration remained helpless, with both sides insisting on their rights. As a result, the administration intervened frequently, imposing prohibitory orders 36 times in the last 11 years.

It was after the last local bodies elections that Shanmugam, who was elected president of the Pandiyankuppam panchayat, took an impartial stand. He drove home the importance of the Gram Sabha and its proper functioning for development. Both groups agreed to arrive at a peaceful understanding.

“In fact, members of both sides used to live in harmony, but for the differences that came to a head. We are happy that the dispute has been resolved, and the village is looking forward to conducting the temple festival,” says Thangamani, another resident.

‘Peace talks held’

Speaking to The Hindu, Kallakurichi Collector Sravan Kumar Jatavath said he was taken aback after perusing a report from the authorities that the Gram Sabha had not met at Pandiyankuppam for the last 11 years because of the differences between the two communities. “We conducted several rounds of peace talks and highlighted what the village was losing out in the absence of a functional Gram Sabha. The official machinery checked with the residents on the requirements of the panchayat and offered to lift the prohibitory orders if they arrived at a compromise,” he said.

Meetings were held with both sides to break the ice. The administration made the residents realise the importance of the Gram Sabha. Following this, the prohibitory orders were lifted, and the first Gram Sabha meeting was held on May 1 after 11 years, the Collector said.