Date:07/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/07/stories/2008100752660300.htm

Tamil Nadu

CPI(M) seeks action against those who attacked scribes

Staff Reporter

Caste Hindus denying rights of Dalits to undertake farming in their land

Photo: N. Bashkaran

Venting ire: Communist Party of India (Marxist) cadres staging a demonstration in front of Revenue Divisional Office, Krishnagiri on Monday. —

KRISHNAGIRI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has demanded immediate action against caste Hindus who were denying the rights of Dalits to undertake farming activities in the land they had been farming for three decades in Ittikal Agaram village near Krishnagiri.

Two newsmen who went to the village to report the atrocities against the Dalits were attacked and their cameras were snatched and damaged by a gang before the two policemen who were posted there from Krishnagiri town, local people said.

More than 100 CPM cadres held a demonstration in front of the Revenue Divisional Office in Krishnagiri on Monday demanding action against the culprits who attacked the reporters and Dalits in the village. Mr. M. Dharman, District Executive Member, led the demonstration.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary, T. Ravindran alleged that the district administration and the forest officials were hand-in-glove with caste Hindus of the village.

Entry denied

“The government allotted 182 acres of land to 62 Dalits way back in 1976. Since they were denied entry into their land, the Dalits started doing farming activities in the adjoining government poromboke land in Survey No. 168/2 for the past 25 years. Even after that the caste Hindu people did not stop their atrocities and continued to harass them in various ways,” Mr. Ravindran added.

“On Sunday, a mob instigated by a local bigwig damaged the crops where Dalits are doing farming. When some Dalits oppose this, the gang started attacking them. Meanwhile, two reporters arrived at the spot with a local youth belonging to the Dalit community.

On seeing him, they started beating the youth, when the reporters started taking photographs, the gang started attacking the reporters, damaged their cameras and snatched their mobile phones.

The whole episode was witnessed by the two policemen who were deployed in the village,” he said.

The CPI(M) demanded that the government land occupied by the Dalits for 30 years should be handed over to them according to the guidelines issued by the High Court. They urged the government to issue pattas to the dalits.