New Delhi: The events that have followed the brutal murder of Bahujan Samaj Party’s Tamil Nadu president K. Armstrong have raised questions about the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party’s response to discrimination faced by those belonging to Dalit communities in the southern state.
The DMK government denied permission to bury Armstrong’s mortal remains at his office, and refused to order an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation into his death – something that was demanded by his family, the BSP and other opposition parties in the state.
Armstrong was hacked to death by six bike-borne men near his house in Chennai’s Perambur on July 5. The men attacked Armstrong when he was speaking to a few party members near his house and then fled. He was rushed to a hospital by his family, where he was declared brought dead.
Following Armstrong’s murder, the police arrested eight people in connection with the incident and said, according to Indian Express, that preliminary investigation pointed to the fact that the murder was in retaliation for the killing of gangster Arcot Suresh.
On July 14, one of the accused, Thiruvengadam was killed in an encounter near Madhavram in Chennai. While another functionary of the Naam Thamizhar Katchi party (NTK) was hacked to death in Madurai on July 16.
National Crime Records Bureau data shows that between 2019 and 2021, the increase in crime against those from Dalit communities at the all-India level was 9.7%, but it was 16.92% in Tamil Nadu.
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Who was K. Armstrong?
Armstrong, born and brought up in Chennai’s Perambur studied law at Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. He practised in the Chennai courts. In 2006 he contested as an independent candidate and was elected from a ward in North Chennai as a councillor in the Chennai Municipal Corporation elections. Subsequently he joined the BSP and in 2007 was made the state unit president. In 2011, he contested unsuccessfully against then deputy chief minister M.K Stalin in the assembly elections from Kolathur.
Activists and party members say Armstrong was known more as a Dalit leader and a grassroots worker than a politician. His reputation preceded the BSP’s, which has minimal presence in Tamil Nadu.
“The difference between any Dalit leader in Tamil Nadu and Armstrong was that he was a stubborn follower of [Dr B.R.] Ambedkar. He was not just a BSP leader. He opened a Buddhist monastery in Perambur, conducted Buddhist marriages on a large scale. He is being called a gangster – it is not at all true. See how many people gathered for his funeral to pay tributes? He has been a strong influence in the area of Babasaheb’s ideology,” said Siva, state secretary of the Tamil Nadu BSP.
Writer and activist Shalin Maria Lawrence says that if there was one fierce opponent of the DMK in Tamil Nadu from the Dalit community it was Armstrong.
Also read: Caste and Social Mobility: Karunanidhi’s Dravidian Century
“He was known for taking care of people, someone who would fight for human rights. He belonged to Chennai and had a great legacy here. He was a rationalist, he would do inter caste marriages and encourage youth to get into sports and education. He propagated Buddhism and counter culture activities and yet he was killed in a brutal way in that very area where he would talk about Buddha and dhamma,” said Lawrence.
“He was one who would talk about atrocities against Dalits, and emancipation through facts and figures, and was against the Dravidian ecosystem of caste,” Lawrence added.
‘Message to Dalit people’
With Armstrong’s murder, the Tamil Nadu government under the DMK and its attitude towards Dalit people has come under sharp focus despite Dravidian parties reputation for fighting against caste.
The Stalin government’s move to oppose Armstrong’s wife’s K Porkodi’s petition to bury his mortal remains at his BSP office in Perambur in the Madras high court is being cited as an example of this attitude.
In her petition, Porkodi pleaded that his burial be allowed at the site and a memorial be allowed to be constructed to mark the lifelong work done by Armstrong for the Dalit community in the area. The state government however opposed the plea and said that the area is residential and “is meant for passage.” Ultimately, Armstrong was buried on on July 8, in land owned by his family over 30 kms away in Tiruvallur. A huge procession of thousands walked with Armstrong’s mortal remains for over eight hours.
Along with BSP chief Mayawati, other leaders including Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi’s Thirumavalavan and Tamil Nadu Congress president K. Selvaperunthagai also paid their respects. DMK leaders were not seen, though Stalin had met Armstrong’s family separately the next day.
Just months earlier, DMDK leader and actor-turned politician Vijayakanth was allowed to be buried in Chennai.
“The Dravidian model does not apply to Dalits. Any improvement that has happened is because of Ambedkar. Dalits have been suffering and more than north Indian Dalits. It is easy for Vijaykant to get a place in his own land. But not for Armstrong where he has lived for more than 50 years. In the judgement only the [state] government is objecting. Vijayakanth, Jayalalitha, Karunanidhi – all can get space in the middle of the city. They have no problem. But only for Armstrong they have a problem. This shows their anti-Dalit mindset,” said BSP’s Siva.
According to Lawrence, too, the decision to not allow Armstrong to be buried where the family wanted – in the area where he lived and worked through his life – was a message to the Dalit community.
Armstrong’s politics in recent years made those in power uncomfortable, she said.
“He had land. Why was he sent 30 kms away? It was a message. You don’t have right to this place. Marina Beach, an eco protected place, has place for leaders like Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi who came from outside Chennai but there is no place for Armstrong. That is why people walked 30 kms and buried him in his own land,” she said.
Lawrence also highlighted the murder and how it was treated.
“Even the murder was dealt with in a gruesome manner. So many photos and videos showing the body…it means your body has no dignity. This is a result of your assertion. State is saying you cannot own Chennai. It is our land. You cannot do liberation and counter-culture here because it is affecting our politics. Even the Dravidian parties are happy that Amrstrong is not there. if he is not there the BSP will not be there this movement will not be there,” he said.
The Madras high court on July 15 expressed shock over how the CCTV visuals of the murder was publicised and noted how “unfortunately” every inch of the murder was played on television channels.
Chorus for a CBI probe
Meanwhile the chorus for a CBI probe into Armstrong’s murder has grown. BSP chief Mayawati on July 7, who in a rare move visited Chennai to pay homage to her slain party leader said that the state government should hand over the probe to the CBI. The demand has also been reiterated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state, with state president Annamalai also raising questions about the encounter killing of accused Thiruvengadam.
The DMK’s ally in the state VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan said at Armstrong’s funeral that Mayawati’s request for a CBI probe needs to be considered by the Tamil Nadu government. On July 12 however he said that the party suspects a “political agenda” behind the murder.
“We realise that the BJP in particular has this action plan. Therefore, VCK is suspecting the possibility of a political agenda behind Armstrong’s murder,” he said to reporters after meeting chief minister M.K. Stalin, adding that the BJP had demanded a CBI enquiry even before the police started investigating the case or the BSP had made its demand.
Meanwhile, the DMK’s other ally in the state, the Congress, too has said that the police should not restrict itself to the accused who have surrendered.
INDIA bloc
Just months ago, during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, the Congress and other members of the INDIA alliance has highlighted social justice and oppression of the backward castes in their election speeches. Apart from a post on X from now Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, the INDIA bloc’s silence on the death of an assertive Dalit leader has been loud.
“The INDIA alliance has been historically tokenistic when it comes to Dalit issues. For them Dalits have been an electoral adjective. Tamil Nadu has been a heartland for anti-Dalit activities and caste based oppression. It is a state which is largely ruled by non-BJP parties. It is the land of Periyar where the Dravidian parties said they would be working towards eradicating caste,” said Subhajit Naskar, assistant professor at Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
“I am outraged and disturbed by the silence of INDIA convenor Mallikarjun Kharge. He has tweeted on Jagjivan Ram, Jagannath Dham yatra but did not utter a word on Armstrong. Akhilesh Yadav, used to be in alliance with BSP but he has been silent. Even the communist parties including CPI secretary D. Raja did not utter a word. Armstrong’s murder should disturb every politician across the political spectrum,” Naskar added.
“INDIA looks at Dalits as a mere vote bank. In addition, Dalit leaders in upper caste dominant parties like Congress, communist parties cannot take a call on their own community where Armstrong comes from.”
Had TN govt not any complicity in the assassination of BSP TN president k Armstrong sir, it would have been handed over the investigation to CBI. But TN govt is yet to do so.
Pls join us on 20 July 2024 to demand justice for k Armstrong sir. pic.twitter.com/CsGfVIs653
— S4 (@samyak_samaj) July 17, 2024
‘Playing identity politics’
Under fire for failing law and order in the state and its lack of commitment to atrocities against Dalits, chief minister M.K Stalin has met Armstrong’s family and assured a thorough probe. In the aftermath of the murder, the state police has also seen recent shuffles including the Chennai city police commissioner Sandeep Rai Rathore who has been replaced by A. Arun. The Tamil Nadu home secretary P Amudha has also been transferred.
But with questions being raised about discrimination against Dalits in its handling of the murder, the DMK has pointed fingers at the BJP.
“DMK is very committed to the lives of the downtrodden. Tamil Nadu is the only state where subsidies and grants are provided for Dalit entrepreneurs. As a part of the Dravidian model, the DMK has ensured that no one is left behind. In comparison to the previous regime, law and order has also improved. However there have been aberrations like every other party of the world but it is something we want to avoid. You cannot give an identity to such events. It is an unfortunate event that has happened. Some of the culprits have been nabbed and investigation is underway, BJP is trying to play identity politics with every incident,” said a DMK leader who did not wish to be named.
“CBI in itself is not sacrosanct. It was a caged parrot and now it has become an arm of the BJP. The Tamil Nadu state CB-CID is completely non-partisan and they will do justice which is what they are doing. We have complete faith in the CB-CID.”
Despite the DMK’s claims, not everyone is convinced.
“Social justice politics has remained a mere rhetoric till now. Parties with upper caste leadership should nurture assertive Dalit leadership and give them a free hand…Social justice has become a buzzword for INDIA. At elections, social justice has given them so much leverage, but now you have to be socially committed to justice, including taking a call against the structural social system dominated by caste hierarchies. INDIA parties have not been able to formulate a programme on how a socially just polity should look like whether it is just an ideological counter to BJP or to change the social political system of Indian polity-that question is still lingering,” said Naskar.
