Reassessing The Past: A Subaltern Study of The Kilvenmani Massacre

Abstract

History is expected to provide an accurate account of the past; however, the reliability of anecdotal records depends on the individuals who participated in them and the accuracy of their accounts. As the Kilvenmani Massacre of 1968 demonstrates, the actual version of the past may be obscured when the powerholders and political leaders are on the side of the perpetrators. The alarming version of the truth that is ambiguous in the history of Kilvenmani is the underlying politics of power that promote Mirasdars (the landlords) in manhandling the situations, slaughtering and burning 44 innocent Dalits (bonded labourers) alive, and then concealing their hand in the ruthless killing. The Kilvenmani massacre serves as a macabre reminder of the ruthless treatment that was inflicted upon the subjugated Dalits who were powerless in pursuit of their rights. This paper attempts to examine the Kilvenmani Massacre incident through the lens of subaltern studies, tracing the physical and psychological causes and consequences of caste politics. Evaluating how the incident is portrayed by history, news scripts, and a lack of sufficient documentation has buried the incident in uncertainty. The police's collaboration with powerful groups, as well as the legal system's reluctance to stand firm for the innocents, hampered the Dalits' hope of justice. The study's methodology includes a documentary text, The Gypsy Goddess by Meena Kandasamy, which accurately depicts the incident.