[3] On 20 May 1921, the workers in the Spinning Department of the Buckingham and Carnatic Mills refused to work until the management agreed to discuss their wage rise demands.
[4] The management tactically broke up the unity of the workers by allegedly enlisting the support of Dalits and Indian Christians who had not joined the strike.
[3] The abstention of Dalit workers from the strike was severely criticized by the Raja of Panagal, the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency and O. Thanikachalam Chetti.
[6] A communal riot broke out on 28 June 1921 when a caste Hindu mob attacked the Dalit village of Pulianthope and burnt a hundred huts.
[2] The Madras government appointed a three-member enquiry committee headed by Sir William Ayling to investigate the causes of the strike.
[2] The Home Member of the Governor's Executive Council, Sir Lionel Davidson, said that all the violence was caused not by a labour strike but by "a faction inflamed by caste prejudice".