Muslim League Workers Accused of “Purification Ritual” at Dalit President-Led Panchayat Office

Muslim League workers have allegedly performed a “purification ritual” by sprinkling water in front of a panchayat office that was previously headed by a Dalit president. The incident occurred at the Vilayur Grama Panchayat in Palakkad, where League workers were seen sprinkling what they described as “holy water” to “purify” the premises. A video of this act is widely circulating on social media, drawing significant attention and criticism.

The Vilayur Grama Panchayat was recently won by the United Democratic Front (UDF) from the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the local body elections. In the preceding term, Baby Girija, a local committee member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from the Dalit community, had served as the Panchayat President.

Following the LDF’s defeat, League workers conducted this ritual at the panchayat office. The UDF secured a decisive victory in the Vilayur Grama Panchayat in Palakkad, winning 14 out of the 17 wards, including those claimed by independents, thereby defeating the LDF. It is also notable that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not field candidates in a majority of the wards where independent candidates emerged victorious.

This incident is not isolated, as a similar event was reported recently in Changaroth, Kozhikode. In that instance, League workers were accused of sprinkling cow dung water in front of a panchayat that had also been led by a Dalit president. Unni Vengeri, a senior CPM leader from Perambra belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, had served as the Changaroth Panchayat President for the past five years.

Responding to the allegations, the Muslim League leadership clarified that they had only sprinkled plain water, not cow dung water, in Palakkad. Furthermore, the League leadership stated that this “celebration,” as they termed it, was not conducted with the knowledge or official approval of the broader UDF coalition.