Activist Kausalya suspended after controversy

UDHAGAMANDALAM: Udumalai Kausalya, whose first husband was a victim of caste murder, has been suspended by the

Wellington Cantonment

Board near

Coonoor

in the Nilgiris, where she had been working as an office assistant, for her alleged remarks against the country’s Constitution, according to the officials of the board.


In an interview to a news channel, Kausalya reportedly said that she did not believe in the country’s Constitution.

“According to the Constitution, India has been considered as a union, not as a nation. People are living in diversity. In that sense how can this be called a nation? Also, in the same regard I cannot accept Tamil Nadu as a state. And Tamil Nadu is being neglected on all fronts by India”, she reportedly said in the interview.

Harish Varma, executive officer, Wellington Cantonment Board, told TOI, “Kausalya, an office assistant in the board, was placed under suspension on Friday after we came to know about her hate speech in an interview to a news”.

He added, “The board decided to suspend her from her duties till an inquiry is over. She has been asked to submit an explanation in this regard to the board”.

According to the official, she had given the interview to the news channel in the first week of January and the board came to know about it only on Thursday.

In 2016, her husband Shankar, a dalit, was attacked by three people and killed in public view at Tirupur. It was alleged to be an honour killing due to the inter-caste marriage. Kausalya survived with head injuries.

She was employed as an office assistant at the Wellington Cantonment board. Last December, Kausalya had married Sakthi, a ‘parai’ artist.