Dalit TN panchayat president made to sit on floor

A panchayat secretary in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore district was suspended after a photo that went viral showed a woman panchayat president, who belongs to a lower caste, sitting on the floor during a meeting, while the rest are seen seated on chairs. Rajeshwari Saravana Kumar, president of Therku Thittai panchayat, belonging to a Scheduled Caste, was elected to the panchayat president's post last year. Alleging caste discrimination and harassment from upper caste members, Rajeshwari said: “because of my caste, the vice president does not let me preside over meeting. He did not even let me hoist the flag. He made his father do it. Although I was cooperating with the upper castes all these months, it is going overboard now.” The police also booked a case against panchayat vice-president Mohan Raj under the Prevention of Atrocities Act.