The Hindu : Leaders question Govt. claim

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 23, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Leaders question Govt. claim

By T. Ramavarman

THRISSUR FEB. 22. The accounts of some prominent social activists who visited Muthanga in Wayanad district after Wednesday's gory incidents have created serious dents in the claims of the Government about the developments. These leaders, the Janata Dal State president, M.P. Veerendrakumar, the CPI Legislature Party leader, K.P. Rajendran, and the writer-cum-social activist, Civic Chandran, have contested the Government's claim on the number of casualties and the sequence of developments that led to the firing.

According to Mr. Veerendrakumar, the police fired at the tribals at close range and as per official accounts, as many as 18 rounds. Media reporters have indicated that they had seen several people falling after being hit by bullets. The Government must clarify on where the victims had gone.

The social activist, Fr. George Pulikuthiyel of `Jananeethi', who visited the injured in hospitals, said majority of them sustained injuries when beaten with the rear side of the gun and kicked by boots by the police. Hardly anyone with bullet injuries was being treated in the hospitals and it remains a mystery who those bullets had hit.

Questioning the Government's claims that the tribals were heavily armed, Mr. Veerendrakumar said all that the police could display as the `seized' weapons were just `vakkathi' and sticks with pointed edges. Tribals carry these as implement and bows and arrows are very primitive weapons.

Mr. Rajendran said that as per reports gathered by him and other Opposition leaders, many women and children are missing. Even by Government reports, more than 1,500 tribals were staying at Muthanga. He alleged that the situation at Muthanga was relatively peaceful till Wednesday afternoon when the KAP Commandant, Suresh Purohit, appeared on the scene. Till then the officials and the tribals were engaged in peaceful negotiations. But Mr. Purohit reportedly insisted on firing saying that he had orders to do so ``from above''.

Dismissing police claims that their attack was in retaliation to the aggression by the tribals, Mr. Veerendrakumar said among those who had been arrested, 99 were women and 37 children and there were only 33 men. None of the visuals could capture any women attacking the police.

``You must go and see the women and children undergoing treatment in hospitals to understand how frail and weak they are. How can one believe that those frail women carrying children on one hand attack the police,'' Mr. Veerendrakumar asked.

Denying allegations on Naxalite involvement in the occupation of the forestland by tribals at Muthanga, Mr. Chandran said those who watched the political developments in the State could quickly understand that Naxallite groups were vehemently opposed to the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha led by C.K. Janu. Referring to the allegation that the tribals were trying to declare self-rule at Muthanga, Mr. Chandran said one of the conditions in the agreement that the Government had signed with the tribals during the last agitation was that it would include the land given to the tribals in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution. Once the land is included in the Fifth Schedule the tribals will have more or less self-rule over it.

Mr. Veerendrakumar said the incidents could have been averted had the Government approached the issue with more caution. No Minister or any responsible person had conducted any negotiations with the tribals during the 54-day stand-off.

Referring to reports that Ms. Janu and Geethanandan were handed over to the police by people, Mr. Rajeendran said such planted reports by the police could not be believed fully as there could be police agents and anti-social elements planted by major grabbers of tribal lands among them.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

Janu, Geetanandan arrested

Leaders question Govt. claim

Arundhati Roy supports tribals' cause

Cardamom loot thriving in forests

Murali to seek probe into funds flow

Tribals wanted to talk to CM only: Sudhakaran