People's Democracy

KERALA

CPI(M) Protests Repression On Adivasis

CPI(M) workers participated in a statewide protest action against the brutal persecution of Adivasis by the UDF government, especially the recent police firing at Muthanga. They marched to all the police stations in the state on March 3 denouncing the police action.

The police lathicharged the volunteers participating in the march at Chathanoor in Quilon district. The CPI(M) focussed on the following demands during this agitation:

·  Order a judicial inquiry into the incident of police firing on Adivasis at Muthanga

·            Distribute land to Adivasis as promised by the state government

·  The government should immediately stop the chasing and persecution of Adivasis

Leaders of the party at different levels inaugurated all marches. In Trivandrum district, people marched to all the 14 police circle offices. There were people’s marches to 10 police stations in Quilon district, while in Kozhikode there were marches to 15 stations. In Wynad district where the police atrocity took place five stations faced the wrath of the people.

Other districts also witnessed the agitation of the people against the police atrocities and the campaign by the UDF that the people in the mainstream are against the Adivasis is proving to be hollow.

Meanwhile, the Adivasi Kshema Samithi has again started the agitation for land to Adivasis at sixteen centres in Waynad district. In this campaign being conducted under the CPI(M) leadership, about 1250 Adivasi families have occupied the government forest lands by erecting temporary huts. Leaders of the Samithi addressing the Adivasis called upon them to remain firm on continuing their occupation of forest lands of the government. They have also asked them to isolate those forces that instigate violence in order to divert the attention of the public and the government from the crucial question of empowering Adivasis with title and occupational rights to specifically marked plots of lands.

THOMAS ISAAC CONTINUES FAST

The hunger strike launched by the CPI(M) MLAs demanding the institution of a judicial inquiry into the police firing on Adivasis at Mathanga continued with Dr Thomas Isaac joining it following the illness of K Radhakrishnan.

Thousands of people are pouring into the satyagraha pandal to greet the fasting MLA. Cultural activists, teachers, students, government officials and various other sections of people are coming in and expressing their solidarity with this struggle. Even UDF legislators came and greeted Dr Isaac.  

The video shots taken by the Kairali TV channel’s cinematographer Shaji Pattanam of the police firing was screened near the satyagraha pandal. Actor Murali inaugurated the screening. Shaji took the shots at great odds by climbing onto a branch of a tree. Shaji was discovered by the police and was pelted with stones forcing him to climb down from the tree. He managed to empty the cassette from the camera and place an empty cassette in the camera in the shortest possible time while he was climbing from the tree. Shaji was subjected to police assault of the heinous model. He recovered only after the lapse of a week. The covering of Muthanga incidents by Shaji is a feat in itself.

Meanwhile parleys are on by the UDF to escape the entanglement. What people want is a judicial inquiry and the CPI(M) has decided to continue the struggle until the inquiry is ordered. Many in the ruling UDF have also demanded a judicial inquiry. The AICC secretary Vayalar Ravi has said that he is not against a judicial inquiry. The general mood in Kerala atmosphere is that a judicial inquiry can bring out the truth regarding the Muthanga affair. The Police version that only one Adivasi died is not believed by the people. Even the newspapers have given varied count of those killed in the police firing. But one truth remains and that is after the incident scores of Adivasis are missing. The police and jail authorities have attacked the Adivasi women and children very cruelly. Therefore a judicial inquiry becomes a must. The UDF bandwagon is not willing to hold it, as it is afraid of the mafia links it has may come into open.