Missing Dalit 'civic chief' of Naikaneri back home

TIRUPATTUR: Indumathi, the woman Dalit president of Naikaneri village panchayat, who went missing last Saturday returned home during the wee hours of Tuesday.

The DT Next carried a report in these columns on September 12 that Indumathi has not been allowed to assume office for two years despite being elected unopposed.

Certain officials and those opposed to her had claimed a court stay preventing her from taking the oath of office.

Indumathi’s husband Pandian told DT Next that “as she was under a lot of mental stress due to her being unable to assume office in addition to the ‘court case’ for which we had to travel to various areas. Frustrated over the developments, she was even contemplating suicide to end the trauma once and for all.”

Asked where she had gone all these days, he said, “She went to various places like the bus stand at Ambur and finally went to stay with relatives at Hosur. However, on coming to know that I had complained to the police, she returned home around 1 am on Tuesday.”

Elaborating Pandian said, “I then went with her to the Ambur taluk police station where I withdrew my complaint. However, those opposed to us in the village are now creating problems since I had stated in my complaint that I suspected their hand in my wife’s disappearance.”

Though I have withdrawn my complaint, they refused to accept this and say that their pride and reputation were both affected by being named in the complaint.

Sources close to the family revealed that the trauma the couple were going through was also affecting their children.

“Only if the Tirupattur district administration ensures that Indumathi is allowed to assume office will things settle down. But we do not know when that will happen,” sources added.