Dr. C. Godwin Sam
Assistant Professor of History, Scott Christian College (Autonomous), Nagercoil.
Kanyakumari District is generally a tranquil district where the law and order problems were a few and far between. However, the last half of the 20th Century has witnessed a few law and order problems. They were not only serious but strained the human relations and social atmosphere.1 The most important among these law and order problems was the Mandaikadu riots. In March 1982, violence in the name of religion marred the countenance of the District of Kanyakumari and shocked the whole of Tamil Nadu. It is the duty of a true historian to interpret the causes for this event in an objective manner.2
The caste system that emerged in ancient India has blossomed through the ages under the political patronage of various kings and dynasties. A rigid stratification of the society resorted to inter communal conflicts.3 Today communalism is deep rooted into the day to day life of India. Though there are so many causes for the spread of communalism4, it affected the law and order of the society in a large scale.
The Police Administration Reports of the years 1977 to 1986 reveal incidents which caused law and order problems in Kanyakumari District. Incidents arising out of communal clash between two religions groups were found to be common every year since 1977. The year 1982 was one of the eventful and problematic years for the police.
The year 1982 was one of the eventful and problematic years for the police as well as Revenue administration as the law and order situation in that year became worse and the tranquility had suffered to a greater extent. The cause for the concern was the Mondaikadu incident in 1982, when a major law and order problem arose between Hindus and Christian fishermen.
This district is noted for its ‘high percentage of literacy and religious harmony, social amity and harmony among the people of this area are the realistic features. Though there were communal clashes between fishermen and Nadars, fishermen and Muslims, Nadars and Krishnavagai community there were no large scale religious clashes involving Hindus and Christians as a while, till October in the year 1981.
By the end of 1981, there were frequent clashes between Hindus and Christians in the district. A few stray incidents which first started in Thuckalay and Kulasekaram on the Christmas eve, subsequently spread over the coastal villages.
In March 1982, there was a major incident at Modaikadupudur, a coastal village, in which six fishermen died due to police firing, 40 persons including 25 police personnel sustained injuries, consequent on the religious clash between the Christian fishermen and Hindus at the time of Mondaikadu temple festival.5
Mondaikadu is situated in Manavalakurichi village of Kalkulam Taluk and this temple which is on the sea shore, is at a distance of three kilometers east of Colachel and 16 km. west of Nagercoil6 and is daid to be dated back to the 7th century B.C.7 Until the merger of the area with Madras State in 1956, this temple was under the control of Trivandrum Devasvam. After 1956, this is being maintained by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department of the Government of Tami Nadu dedicated to the Goddess Bhagavathi Amman, who is considered to be very famous and powerful deity of this area. The deity is believed to be in the form of ant-hill about 12 feet in height, which people believe grows day by day.8 The ‘Amman’ is feared to be very powerful.
Till the end of 1982, the festival was celebrated peacefully and without any problem. However, these long years have developed a strained feeling between the Christians and Hindus of this district. As a result, the Christians of Mondaikadupudur resented the Hindus, while passing through their village, to have their usual holy dip in the sea. The menace of the loud- speakers around the temple, at the time of the festival and their supposed offensive references to Christianity strengthened the ill-feeling and widened the gap between these two religious groups. This was an added cause for the resentment of the fishermen, who illuminated a shrine situated on the path leading to the beach and started playing records. Under instructions from the Collector of Kanyakumari, the Sub-Collector, Padmanabhapuram held talks between both the groups and persuaded them and brought out a calm atmosphere. Thus, their problematic and offensive activities, were put an end to.
The Police Administration Report goes to show that on 1 March 1982 about 2000 to 3000 strong Christian fishermen started ransacking the shops, attacking the Hindus, molesting Hindu women devotees, and attacking the police.9 In the scuffle, 25 policemen were injured. As a last resort, the police opened fire which resulted in the death of six fishermen and injuries to 15 fishermen. Later on, there was a heavy funeral procession from Colachel to Mondaikadupudur. Infuriated by this firing, the fishermen started indulging in violent activities, alleging that the firing and other actions of police were due to influence and false allegations of RSS against the fishermen. Since their devotees were not allowed to take their holy dip in the sea, the Hindus got aggravated and indulged in violent activities. Thus rose a major religious problem and this was the cause for several subsequent clashes and incidents that occurred in Kanyakumari District in 1982. Following this incident, there were series of incidents of lawlessness involving heavy damages to properties and also to human lives.
Again, there was a police firing at Melamanakudy, a coastal village on the night of 15 March 1982 in which two fishermen were killed. A group of Hindu extremists damaged the houses of fishermen, looted household articles and fishing nets and smashed the entire village Pallam by setting fire and the damage was estimated to be more than Rs. 30 lakh. There was, however, no loss of human life in this incident. In another clash occurred in April 1982 between Hindus and Christians at Colachel advancing, despite goading and several warning by police. As a last resort the police opened fire and thereafter, the entire mob dispersed.
In between March and December 1982, about 50 clashes involving different groups of people had occurred, resulting in damages to properties and bodily injuries. Though these sporadic incidents causes much concern to the authorities no serious clashes were witnessed nor was major lawlessness or mob violence occurred in March 1982.10
At the instance of Collector and Superintendent of Police of Kanyakumar, series of Peace Committees held in April and May 1982 strengthened peace eased tension and paved the way for permanent peace in the district.
Under the instructions from the Collector and Superintendent of Police, Kanyakumari, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Thuckalay and Sub-Collector, Padmanabhapuram held Peace Committee on 3 January 1982 at Thuckalay. The Christians and Hindus assured to keep peace and there was no incidence for sometime. A district level peace committee consisting of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Tirunelveli Range, the Superintendent of Police, Kanyakumari District and the Collector of Kanyakumari District was held on 18 January 1982 which was attended by leaders from all religious and political parties. An all party religious procession was taken out on 30 January 1982 at Kulasekaram, headed by the Collector and the Superintendent of Police, Kanyakumari District, following a decision taken in the above peace Committee meeting. The religious and political leaders appealed the public to keep peace, abjuring violence.
Another district level Peace Committee meeting after Mondaikadu Police firing was held on 6 March 1982 at Collectorate, Nagercoil under the Chairmanship of Collector, Kanyakumari District and the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Tirunelveli Range and the Superintendent of Police, Kanyakumari District also participated, besides other non-officials. Subsequent Peace Committee Meetings were held on 10 April 1982, 2 May 1982, 3 May 1982, 10 May 1982, 23 May 1982 and 30 May 1982 at Eathamozhy, Ammandivilai, Colachel, Kanyakumari, Melakrishnanpudur, Mondaikadu and Thuthoor respectively.11
References
- Goapalkrishnan, M., (Ed.), Gazetteers of India, Tamil Nadu State, Kanniyakumari District, Madras, 1995, p. 631.
- Narchisan, J.R., et. al., Called to Serve: A Profile of the Diocese of Kottar, Nagercoil, 1983.
- Sundararaj, T., Social and Cultural Aspects of Tamil Nadu, Tiruchirappalli, 2006, pp. 138-139.
- Ibid., p.138.
- Kanyakumari District Police Administration, Report for the year 1982 from the Superintendent of Police dt.9, February 1983.
- S. Padmanbhan, Kumari Mavatta Kovilgal (Tamil), Nagercoil 1970, pp. 166-167.
- G.T. Vikraman Thambi and S. Senbagaperumal, Varalatil Mondaikadu, Nagercoil 1983, pp. 17-18.
- S. Padmanadhan, Op.cit., p. 166.
- Kanyakumari District Police Administration Report for the year 1982 from the Superintendent of Police, dated 9 February 1983.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.