Home | Biodata | Biography | Photo Gallery | Publications | Tributes [Back to Surveys List] Political - Socio - Economic-Surveys

At the beginning of the first semester, we saw newspaper reports of brutal murder of a number of innocent people at Villupuram in broad daylight. The newspapers carried different versions of the barbarous incidents. The English papers told the following story. There were two kinds of beings living in and around Villupuram. The first kind consisted of all good people and they were carrying on honest trade. The second group consisted of all bad people, who were all criminals, gamblers, drunkards and quarrelsome. The evil of the second group was becoming more and more intolerable. To support such a theory a number of isolated incidents were collected from the good people arid published in the newspapers that are owned and controlled by good people and all the readers of these English papers, were also good people. As is well known from our epic stories, the rule of the evil people over the good people cannot last for long.

Temptation came in the form of a young woman who visited a shop owned by one of the good people. A quarrel ensued between the woman and the good shopkeeper. The woman reported the matter to her man who was a member of the bad group. There was a clash between the supporters of the woman and the shopkeeper. The forces of the just could not be conquered for ever. The good people organized themselves and demonstrated in public and shouted loudly to boost up their morale and self-confidence. They chanted "Down with the drummers, Eradicate the evil group". The supporters of the woman were handed over to the police. Some people called for a halt to the hostilities but how can good suffer evil for long without taking some action ?

What were the weapons ? The good people do not carry destructive weapons like guns and daggers. They simply use what is normally available to thembare hands, sticks, stones and ropes. The evil group, in addition to the other weapons had a magic weapon, so the good people believed. All of them, men, women and children, carried invisible magic powder in small quantities, to set fire to shops and dwellings of the good people.

One way of attaining victory was to set fire to the dwellings of the evil group so that they would be thrown out of Villupuram. A second method was to destroy their propertyi.e.burn the rickshaws, break their bicycles and remove watches and money purse. In any conflict both sides would have to suffer some casualties. According to the newspaper stories the dwellings of the good people also got burnt down in the fire set by the evil people. Fire, once started, will it not spread to many areas, if left uncontrolled?

The good people, in order to claim victory, must kill some unrighteous people. Once the news of the death of members of the second group reached newspaper offices, Villupuram story could be completed. Only the evil people died. The decisive victory for the righteous was won. This is the pattern of conflict, the readers are most familiar with. They are always, on the side of the good people. Now that the bad people are destroyed and taught a lesson, every one can live in peace.

There was at least one English weekly which concentrated on what could have happened between a shopkeeper and a young woman who visits his shop. It gave an imaginative description of her anatomy and how the good shopkeeper fell for her charms.

Some of us in the Department of Statistics were not willing to buy all these stories. A group of men and women, both staff and students, proceeded to Villupuram. The team had to fight against the temptation of identifying itself with the good people.

The team interviewed Pattamma, a widow who lost her son Arumugam, Kanniamma who lost her husband Manigundu and cousin Sathie, one Muthamma who lost her son Chellamuthu and another Muthamma who lost her nephew Arumugam. Muthamma herself was beaten by the good people.

Were these four victims killed in a pitched battle between two armed groups? No. Was any one of the victims armed at the time of death? No. Then were they innocent people? Yes, but they were born in the group of evil people.

Let us first hear Pattamma.
Query : Who died in this incident?
Pattamma : My son died.
Query : His name?
Pattamma : Arumugam, aged eighteen.
Query : How was he employed?
Pattamma : He was working as a rickshaw man. When our houses were on fire every one fled from the place. Then my son was standing near the bus stand with his rickshaw. Since everyone was fleeing he also ran towards Marudur. A number of people tied my son's hands behind his back, tied his feet and dragged him away like a dog. Fifty people had given him fifty blows.
Query : Who reported this matter to you?
Pattamma : Some municipal workers who had seen this came and reported it.
Query : That is, they had come and reported immediately after incident. Isn't it?
Pattamma : Yes, they reported it after it was all over.
Query : Do you know why this happened? Did any others die along with your son?
Pattamma : My son will not join any fight. Doesn't talk to any one. In spite of that they have beaten him to death. Furthermore they have also beaten to death two more peopleManigundu and Sathie.
Query : Then do you think that the only reason for this, is that he belonged to the Colony.
Pattamma : Yes. They had burnt our rickshaw; had dragged my son to Marudur lake* and taken a big stone and tied it round his neck. My son had cried, 'Appa, my life is leaving'. When he was saying this all subsided.
Query : Who reported this?
Pattamma : Those who had hidden themselves, in the houses came and told us.
Query : Did you go there and see?
Pattamma : The next morning, my daughter and I went there but they caught hold of us also.
Query : When did this incident take place?
Pattamma : On Monday at 12 noon, my son's corpse was lying there. On Tuesday early morning we heard of it. Immediately my daughter and I went there. Four people caught hold of my daughter's hair. One man shouted, 'Don't let them go. Burn them. Search the waist'. They searched us. We said, ' We are from another village. Let us go. We bless you'. Then they said, 'Go this way. If you go the other way we will bum you also'. Then we ran home straight.
Query : Can you recognize those who threatened you?
Pattamma : No.
Query : Are they people of Marudur?
Pattamma : Yes, they are.
Query : Did you see your son afterwards?
Pattamma : At 6 O' clock we saw him in the hospital. He was beyond recognition. From the nail polish on his finger and toe nails, from his forehead and from his handkerchief in the pocket I was able to identify him as my son.
Query : Did your son take part in any of the incidents?
Pattamma : He never got into any light. In this cheri many people do not know him. Ask any one. My raja does not know any pavam.
Query : What do you think is the cause of all this?
Pattamma : I do not know.
Query : You do not know the reason for the burning of houses and killing of people, do you?
Pattamma : I do not know anything. It is eighteen years since my husband died. Then my son was a five-month old baby. From that time I brought him up with great difficulty. I never thought this, would happen to him. Let us also hear Muthamma, the aunt of Arumugam.
Query : What is your name?
Muthamma : Muthamma. 14
Query : Did any one in your house get hurt?
Muthamma : Pattamma is my sister. It was Arumugam, her son, who died.
Query : Do you know the cause of these incidents?
Muthamma : It started as a quarrel between a vegetable vendor and a woman and then grew big. That is what people are saying. As soon as the dwellings were set on fire all these people had fled towards Marudur. My sister's son also ran away with them. I was waiting and looking for them wondering why they had not returned. There they had caught them and beaten them to death. Some municipal workers came with a photograph asking who the boy was. I saw it and said, ' Sir, it is my sister's son'. Then they took five of us. We were three men and two women.
Query : We hear that some one beat you up. Is that true?
Muthamma : We went to see the child. There the officials bought us coffee and tiffin. Then they got our signature. 'You go now' they said 'and then come back'. We said immediately, ' Sirs, please come with us, or at least send us in the vehicle'. 'Go without fear', they said. It was on the way that we were caught and tied up in a street corner. They started beating us up. Then the three men of our group said, ' Don't beat them swami, beat us'. Then they were severely beaten. Then, my appa, raja, may he prosper, one chetti saw us. 'Let them go', he said. 'Don't burn them. It is dawn now. If any one sees you they won't let you go. Take them to Sir'. Then he telephoned the police. Within a short time a vehicle came and they all ran away.
Query : Did you get hurt?
Muthamma : They did not beat us much. But they beat up the three men severely. They went to the hospital, got injections and took medicines. The police took them to identify the attackers. One man was identified. He was caught and beaten up severely. The rest of the attackers could not be identified.
Query : Are they all Marudur people?
Muthamma : Yes. They kicked us again and again. Searched us to find whether we were carrying anything. There was nothing. After the police arrived, they let us go. There was a woman also in their group. She gave them a rope to tie us up with. They could not catch every one. Finally we came home in the lorry. At that time 'our life went out and returned'.
Query : How are you now?
Muthamma : Better. But my legs are still paining.

It was not only Arumugam the young rickshaw man who was killed but also eleven others. At least fifty persons would have taken part in the brutal happenings. Who are these heroes who used thick ropes to strangulate innocent people? Where are those who bashed the skulls of their victims so barbarously? They are all there at Viilupurarnscot-freegoing about their business. Isn't there democracy in our country where every one is equal before law irrespective of birth and position? Who are those who burnt the rickshaws and cycles? Who set fire to the dwellings first? People of Villupuram know them.

How about the rest of us? We read English newspapers and are exposed to the mass media. Are there only two kinds of peoplethe first consisting of all good people and the second all bad people? The model is quite familiar to us. Who are the good people? Who are the evil-doers? Let us search ourselves for an answer.

* Our investigators found to their surprise that the lake was practically dry except for a puddle of water.