Tamil Nadu: Dalit funeral procession disallowed on upper caste lands in Vellore

Vellore: A funeral  procession in Tamil Nadu’s Vaniyambadi in Vellore was halted as the upper caste in the region had disallowed them from entering their agricultural lands.

The body of N Kuppam, a 46-year-old Dalit who died on Saturday, had to be taken to an old funeral ground but the route to the destination passes through the agricultural lands of some upper caste locals.

Kuppam's dead body then had to be lowered from a 20-feet-high bridge over a river, in order to complete the last rites as members of the upper caste refused to allow the funeral procession to pass through their land.

The incident happened at Vaniyambadi in Vellore district at a time when rains had led to the temporary closure of Adi Dravidar funeral ground.