District secretary of Hindu Munnani among 8 booked under SC/ST Act in the Nilgiris

Eight persons have been booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly injuring a 32-year-old man and his mother with weapons and hurling casteist slurs at them following a dispute over collecting pipe water between two families at Periyar Nagar in Emerald in the Nilgiris on Monday.

According to police, the injured, identified as Raju from Periyar Nagar, confronted a group of people living in the village after they allegedly assaulted his mother, identified as Aruna alias Arasilai (56) over a dispute over collecting drinking water.

Following the dispute, a group of men, identified as Gajendran, Manikandan, Saravanan, Neelakandan, Kokila, Meena alias Aghila, Nithish and Mani allegedly assaulted Raju, with Gajendran using a cricket bat to seriously injure him. The group also allegedly used casteist slurs against Raju and his mother, before locals rushed to their aid and managed to take them to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Udhagamandalam for treatment. Manikandan is the district secretary of the Hindu Munnani.

Based on a complaint by Aruna, a case was registered against the eight persons under sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and sections of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Women Harassment Act. Based on a counter-complaint by one of the accused, a case was registered under various sections of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Women Harassment Act against Raju and Aruna, police said.

Published - November 11, 2026 07:36 pm IST