Tamil Nadu Timeline

Riots

14 events, 1882 to 2022; 3 marked as turning points.

  1. 1882

    1. Aug 1882SalemConflict

      Salem riots of 1882

      Hindu-Muslim riots broke out in Salem over a procession route past a new mosque; the trials that followed made C. Vijayaraghavachariar famous.

  2. 1899

    1. 1899SivakasiConflict

      Sivakasi riots

      In and near Sivakasi, Maravar-Nadar clashes killed 22 people and burnt hundreds of houses until troops stepped in.

  3. 1908

    1. 12 Mar 1908 to 12 Dec 1912TirunelveliProtest

      Arrest of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Tirunelveli unrest

      The arrest of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Subramania Siva on sedition charges set off unrest in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin.

  4. 1957

    1. Jul 1957 to Sep 1957MudukulathurConflict

      Ramnad (Mudukulathur) riots

      Violent caste clashes broke out in Ramanathapuram district between Thevar and Dalit communities after the 1957 elections.

  5. 1965

    1. 25 Jan 1965 to Mar 1965MaduraiProtest

      1965 anti-Hindi agitation

      Student-led protests against Hindi becoming the sole official language turned into statewide riots, with police firing and self-immolations.

  6. 1982

    1. 1 Mar 1982MandaikaduConflict

      Mandaikadu Hindu-Christian clashes

      Tensions between Hindus and Christians in Kanyakumari district escalated during the Mandaikadu temple festival, leading to police firing and deaths.

  7. 1983

    1. 24 Jul 1983 to 29 Jul 1987RameswaramConflict

      Black July and the arrival of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees

      Anti-Tamil pogroms in Sri Lanka in July 1983 sent the first large wave of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees to Tamil Nadu.

  8. 1991

    1. 12 Dec 1991 to 13 Dec 1991BangaloreConflict

      Anti-Tamil violence in Karnataka over Cauvery award

      Mobs attacked Tamils in Bangalore, Mysore and other parts of southern Karnataka after the Cauvery interim award was gazetted.

  9. 1995

    1. 31 Aug 1995KodiyankulamConflict

      Kodiyankulam police raid

      About 600 policemen raided the Dalit village of Kodiyankulam in Thoothukudi district, destroying property amid caste clashes in southern Tamil Nadu.

  10. 1997

    1. 29 Nov 1997 to 1 Dec 1997CoimbatoreConflict

      Coimbatore communal riots

      The killing of a traffic constable in Coimbatore was followed by communal riots in which 18 Muslims and 2 Hindus were killed.

  11. 2012

    1. 7 Nov 2012DharmapuriConflict

      Dharmapuri caste violence

      Mobs burned Dalit homes in three villages near Dharmapuri after an inter-caste marriage.

  12. 2013

    1. 25 Apr 2013MarakkanamConflict

      Marakkanam caste violence

      At Marakkanam, PMK cadres heading to a Vanniyar youth festival clashed with Dalit villagers, setting off violence in the northern districts.

  13. 2015

    1. 15 Aug 2015SankarapuramConflict

      Seshasamudram violence over a Dalit temple car procession

      A dominant-caste mob attacked the Dalit colony of Seshasamudram and burned a temple car on the eve of its procession.

  14. 2022

    1. 17 Jul 2022KallakurichiProtest

      Violence at Kaniyamoor school over student's death

      Protests over the death of a Class 12 student at a private residential school in Kallakurichi district turned violent.