The Hindu : Muthanga incident: Minister admits intelligence failure

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 05, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Muthanga incident: Minister admits intelligence failure

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH. 4. Faced with a slew of letters deploring the police action on Tribals in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, the Kerala Environment and Forests Minister, K. Sudhakaran, today conceded intelligence failure in comprehending the magnitude of the problem and hinted that outside forces were aggravating the situation by fishing in troubled waters.

Though the Government's earlier commitment to provide land to the Tribals was signed with the jailed Adivasi leader, C.K. Janu, the Minister insisted that this controversy would not affect the ongoing process of land distribution among the Adivasis.

Presenting the Government's version of the events that led to the violence in the Muthanga range of the sanctuary on February 19, Mr. Sudhakaran maintained that police action was ordered to save its personnel who wee taken hostage by the Tribals and not to evict the Adivasis who had occupied terrain in the protected area.

According to Mr. Sudhakaran, only two persons — a Tribal and a constable — had been killed in the violence. As for the missing persons, he said it was only now that the names of those missing had been made public.

"We are willing to trace their whereabouts," he said insisting that there was no truth in the reports that at least a score people had been killed in the violence.

While hinting at an "outside hand" in fomenting trouble in Muthanga, he refused to name the suspects.

"This is being investigated, but written material recovered from the area show the involvement of people from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, besides at least eight persons involved in ivory smuggling."

Asked why no action was taken against the Adivasi Gothra Sabha for 45 days despite its forced occupation of forest land and the declaration of "self-rule", besides the specific instructions from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to evict them, Mr. Sudhakaran said the Government had decided to take a sympathetic view of the entire situation.

Meanwhile, shouting slogans like "people demand land, not bullets", hundreds of activists of the Delhi Committee of CPI (ML)-New Democracy staged a dharna near the Kerala Bhavan here today demanding a judicial inquiry into the police firing on Adivasis at Muthanga.

The protesters later submitted a memorandum to the Kerala Chief Minister through the Resident Commissioner demanding restoration of the land alienated from the Tribals, end to "police repression" in Adivasi habitations, release of innocents and immediate institution of a judicial inquiry.

Among those who addressed the gathering were Aparna, secretary of the Delhi committee of CPI (ML)-New Democracy, N.K. Bhattacharya, convener of Janhastakshep, and Vijay Singh of the Delhi University.

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