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Vachathi atrocity

· Vachathi

In Dharmapuri district, a raid on the tribal village of Vachathi by police, forest and revenue officials left villagers assaulted and women raped.

Searching for sandalwood tied to Veerappan's smuggling network, a large contingent of police, forest and revenue staff descended on Vachathi on 20 June 1992. The Dharmapuri district village was home mostly to Malayali tribal people. Residents were beaten and their belongings wrecked, and 18 women were raped. Activists and the CPI(M) kept the case alive over many years. A special court on 29 September 2011 found all 269 accused officials guilty under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 17 of them for rape, and the Madras High Court later upheld the judgment.

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