The discovery of his body later that day is said to have provoked a 1,500-strong mob to rampage through Natham and two smaller Dalit settlements, Kondampatti and Anna Nagar, where it set ablaze over 200 houses, damaged at least 50 others, and allegedly looted valuables and cash worth lakhs of rupees.
[2] While Ramadoss, belonging to Vanniyar political outfit Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), had rubbished allegations that his party orchestrated the incident, many Dalits believe otherwise.
[3] Many of the victims had blamed the fecklessness of the police and the district administration as this was a planned incident where a caste mob had been mobilised from 22 neighbouring villages.
Though around 300 policemen were present on the spot anticipating trouble, they failed to control the violent gathering as the mob was eight times higher than the number of deployed forces.
[4][5] The Sub-inspector of Police, belonging to same caste of boy, and the constables responsible for maintaining peace in the area have since been transferred or suspended.
Dharmapuri had been a stronghold of the Naxalite movement until the early 2000s, and the Communists and other Leftist groups encouraged a solidarity between different communities and ensured casteism was significantly reduced.
With the collapse of Naxalism, the people, once monolithic in their opposition to untouchability and discrimination, were now lured by caste identities and the promise of power.
Thus began an era where Dalits were made vulnerable by radicalised groups and Vanniyars turned sanctimonious about their perceived position in society.
That afternoon, a 1500-strong Vanniayar mob marched towards the Natham colony, bearing Nagaraj's body, shouting caste slogans and cutting trees to block the Tirupattur highway.
[18] The Vanniyar Sangam organized a meeting to form a broader anti-Dalit front after the violence, only 12 among the expected 500 turned up for the event which was then quietly called off.
The PMK leaders said that Dalit youngsters dressed in jeans wearing T-shirts and sunglasses with their motorbikes and cell phones were wooing caste-Hindu girls into marriage.
While the police is yet to arrest all the culprits behind the attack, they have booked a few innocents who are not connected with the incident It also blamed the state government for not taking enough steps to restore normalcy or implementing relief measures.
[32] On 3 December 2012, The district collector told the court that adequate relief measures were provided to victims and steps have been taken to maintain law and order in the area.
[34] A fresh PIL was filed asking for effective monitoring of offenses under SC-ST act and transfer the probe to CBI.
Four days after the incident, the Jaylalitha-led AIADMK government set up a one-man commission led by Justice S. R. Singaravelu to determine the cause of Ilavarasan's death.
[39][40] The Singaravelu commission delivered its report in 2019 claiming his death was caused by him jumping onto the railway tracks in depression, and being hit by a passing train.