Madurai:
CPM leader Brinda Karat and a group of activists are visiting the controversial Uthapuram village in the Madurai district of Tamilnadu.
Earlier in the day, the police had detained them fearing that her visit could trigger tension in the village.
Last year a 150-metre long wall that separated Dalits and upper caste people was demolished in the village following a campaign spearheaded by the CPM. But one year later things have hardly changed for Dalits. Their children still study in separate schools and they even have a separate ration shop.
Brinda Karat has accused the state government of promoting segregation of Dalits.
"The DMK has completely failed to protect the rights of Dalits. Instead of creating equal facilities for Dalits, the state is dividing them by giving separate facilities for them," said Karat.