My name is Sengodi, and my husband’s name is Karthik. We both reside at Soundirapuram, Nilakottai. In 2022, I purchased one and a half cents of land from my younger sister. We maintained the land and made arrangements to cultivate it.

One morning, when I went to clean the land, I found that the asbestos sheets and pipes we had installed on our land had all been smashed and destroyed. Upon seeing this, I couldn’t understand who could have done this or why this had happened.

While I was trying to organize things, a person from another community and his relative confronted me. As I belong to the Dalit community, they abused me with inappropriate words and fought with me, claiming that the land belonged to them. I couldn’t talk to anyone about this issue and didn’t know what to do.

At that time, Mrs. Savithri, the Dindigul District Coordinator, was conducting a panchayat-level meeting in our village. I stood at a distance and watched the meeting. After the meeting, I met Mrs. Savithri privately. She had mentioned in the meeting that this organization provides free legal advice. I asked her to guide me regarding my problem.

Though she didn’t know me, she inquired about my problem in detail and examined all the documents I had. She said everything seemed to be in order and asked why they were troubling me. She reviewed all the evidence and assured me not to be afraid, as everything was in order.

She helped me file a complaint at the Ammainayakkanur Police Station. After verifying all the information at the police station, they confirmed that the land was indeed ours. They instructed that no one should fight with us regarding this matter and also arranged for a board to be placed on the land. I sincerely thank Mrs. Savithri, who listened to my problems when I didn’t know where to turn and helped me find a solution, and I also thank the Tamil Nadu Dalit Women Federation.

Sengodi, Nilakottai, Dindigul District