On 25 December 1968, 44 Dalits, including 16 women and 23 children, were burnt alive in Keezhvenmani, Tamil Nadu, after agricultural labourers organised under the red flag.
What began as a demand for an extra half measure of paddy in the oppressive conditions of the feudal agrarian order saw tenant farmers and pannaiyals organise through the Kisan Sabha.
The landlord class controlled local institutions and wielded considerable political and administrative power, while organised Dalit workers faced harassment and repression.
As the workers organised and began winning small concessions, the confrontation with the landlords intensified. On the night of 25 December, attackers surrounded a hut where women, children and elderly people had taken shelter, and burnt them alive.
Gopalakrishna Naidu, who was accused of being behind the massacre, was initially convicted along with others. The trial court sentenced those convicted to 10 years imprisonment. In 1975, however, the Madras High Court overturned the convictions and acquitted Naidu.
58 years later, the question of caste, class and justice remains painfully relevant.
Keezhvenmani was not simply a massacre of 44 people. It was an attempt to crush an organised movement of Dalit agricultural labourers who had dared to demand a greater share of the harvest their labour produced.
Remember Keezhvenmani. Remember the 44.
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The struggle over Adivasi identity is not merely a debate about religion—it is also a struggle over land, constitutional rights, political representation, and historical memory.
This carousel summarises Brinda Karat's article "The Majoritarian Shadow Over Adivasi Identity, Faith" (The Hindu, 31 May 2026). It aims to present the article's core arguments in an accessible format while encouraging readers to engage with the complete piece.
Read here for free - https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-hindu-kochi-9ww8/20260601/281741276087728
>Disclaimer: This carousel was created with the assistance of AI to improve readability and presentation. All arguments, quotations, and factual claims are based on Brinda Karat's article "The Majoritarian Shadow Over Adivasi Identity, Faith" (The Hindu, 31 May 2026). Readers are encouraged to read the original article for full context.