Marimuthu Bharathan

Marimuthu Bharathan (born 9 January 1961 ) is an Indian activist advocating for Dalit rights. In 2012, he was honoured with the Human Rights Tulip award by the Dutch government. However, he was denied a passport to travel abroad and receive the award in person, owing to a pending murder charge, which he strongly denied.

Social position Dalits, often referred to as "untouchables", fall outside the Hindu caste system and are widely regarded in India as being of inferior social status. As a result, they frequently face denial of their basic human rights. There are approximately 260 million Dalits worldwide, with the majority residing in India.

Bharathan has spoken to the Dutch press about his experiences as a Dalit. "I have experienced the pain of untouchability from my youth. As a student, I was beaten because I wore shoes while walking through a higher-caste neighbourhood. In 2009, enraged caste Hindus tried to kill me," he recalled.

Bharathan describes the Dalits in India as being akin to slaves, deprived of land, money, and rights, and largely excluded from the benefits of India's economic growth. "Only a very small number of educated Dalits manage to secure a position in modern Indian society," he has said. based in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. This organisation, which has been active for over thirty years,

2009 murder charge On 27 May 2009, Bharathan was arrested and taken to the Suthamalli police station. Although his name was not mentioned in the initial reports of the case, he was later charged with the 11 January 2009 murder of three caste Hindus: K. Madhan of Suthamalli, and S. Ayyappan and N. Ayyappan. He became the 25th accused person in the case.

Following a court hearing on 3 June, he was granted bail and released on 27 June. The matter was raised again on 12 March, with a question on whether the Dutch government would address with the Indian government "the problems Bharathan is facing at the hands of the Indian government – including a ban on organising or participating in demonstrations," and, if so, when and how this would be done.

The reply, in part, was that "The Netherlands respects the Indian legal system and therefore does not interfere in this ongoing case. Contact with Mr. Bharathan will be maintained, also in view of the further development of the [Tulip] Award."