Fifty women, along with children, belonging to the Koravar community, coming under Scheduled Caste, today threatened to commit suicide en masse. This was in protest against the alleged torture and harassment by police in connection with unsolved theft cases in Angalakurichi area in Pollachi in the district.

Led by an elderly woman, Ayyamma, they came to the District Collectorate to submit a memorandum to the Collector, highlighting their plight that for every theft or crime that happened in the area, police used to conduct an inquiry in their colony in Paramedu, where 25 families were residing for the last 100 years.

“In the name of inquiry, they used to take the gold and other valuables from women,” Ayyamma said, adding that the mangalasutra (thaali) of her daughter-in-law was taken away by some police officials as part of some inquiry.

“After begging to return the ‘thaali’, police gave only that portion and took away the chain, weighing two sovereigns,” she alleged.

Her son Marimuthu was also taken for questioning three days ago and had not yet returned, Ayyamma said, and sought the intervention of the Collector to end the torture and humiliation.

Even while she was talking, she took out cow dung powder from her bag and attempted to consume it. However, a policeman foiled her bid to commit suicide.

A senior police official, in the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police, said that the matter would be looked into and the guilty would be punished.