DHARMAPURI: In a turn of events, a Vachathi rape victim, S Amarakka (36), will be contesting from P Thathampatti panchayat for the village president’s post in the local body elections.After the recent Dharmapuri court verdict on the atrocities by policemen and forest officers in Vachathi in 1992, the villagers unanimously decided to field Amarakka for the P Thathampatti panchayat chief post.P Thathampatti comprises Vachathi, Mallakuttai, Malagappadi, T Pudur and Kookudappatti hamlets. About 4,800 people would exercise their franchise to elect their village president. Besides Amarakka, three more women from P Thathampatti village are also in the fray.Harur MLA P Dillibabu CPI(M) said that a group of Vachathi victims are campaigning in the villages which come under P Thathampatti panchayat to garner support for Amarakka.Meanwhile, villagers of Vachathi chased away DMK’s Dharmapuri MP R Thamaraiselvan and DMK functionaries who went there to distribute the financial assistance given by the party to the rape victims on Saturday. After the verdict, DMK chief M Karunanidhi had announced that the rape victims would be given Rs 15,000 each as relief by the DMK party trust and the relief would be distributed to them by MP R Thamaraiselvan on Thursday night. As per the party chief’s instruction, the MP had rushed to Vachathi on Saturday to distribute the relief amount. But, the victims refused to receive the amount.The victims questioned the MP where the then Chief Minister and the party had disappeared for 19 years even though in the intervening period the DMK had been in power in Tamil Nadu twice.No action was initiated to protect the tribals except by the CPI(M), they alleged, and asked the MP to leave the village immediately. The shocked MP left the spot with other partymen.Some residents said that only the Tamil Nadu Tribal People Association and CPI(M) worked hard to get justice for them.
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