The settlement was attacked by dominant caste villagers during the New year celebrations by the Dalit community.
[1] And the area has been a Communist heartland for over 6 decades, with inhabitants opposing oppression by Zamindars and supporting relationship and economic development for all classes.
The people festooned the colony's entrance with a balloon arch and celebrated the new year by boiling over milk, a Tamil tradition connected to Pongal festival.
[3] The dominant caste members reportedly stirred up a quarrel over the sound system which were used for the celebrations.
[3][4] The villagers alleged that the violence ended with very few casualties because the Dalit men refrained from fighting back.
[1] House hold articles including utensils, furniture, water pipes and Televisions were also destroyed.
[6][1] The next morning on 1 January 2018, more than a thousand villagers protested to arrest the attackers, to provide compensation to the affected and also demanded the District Collector to visit the spot.
[1][2] Kathir, the founder of Evidence, a Non-governmental organization based in Madurai, said caste discrimination is deeply rooted, though in a dormant form, in the social structure of villages in this area.
He added that the involvement of many left-wing parties in the area may also have been the explanation for fewer attacks in the recent times.