| NAPM CONDEMNS MURDER OF TRIBALS BY KERALA POLICE.
By amudhan rp 04/03/2003 At 13:58 ANTONY SHOULD OWN UP
AND RESIGN: DISTRIBUTE LAND TO TRIBALS AS PER AGREEMENT LAST YEAR The National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM)strongly condemns the
brutal action by the Kerala police of killing the five tribals, in the
name of protecting the forests and environment. At least five people,
including one policeman, were feared killed when the police tried to
evict activists of the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha from the Muthanga
Wildlife Sanctuary in the northern Wayanad district, on the evening of
February 18.
Still worse, the police has cooked a false story of tribals attacking
the 'hostage' policepersons, to justify their attack on people. This
cannot happen but by specific direction from political decision-makers
to 'finish off'the people.
The tribals have been forced to occupy forest-land of inabiity on the
part of the Kerala government to fulfill the specific written agreement
to distribute land by the Chief Minister in the monsoon of 2002.The
police action was wholly unwarranted, as the government should have
given the promised lands within the stipulated time frame.
This police brutality again proves that the tribals and other oppressed
communities have become endangered species in the state and the powerful
elite go on wrecklessly violating the coastal regulation zone,
exploiting sand, water and people.The tourism industry is allowed to
violate the environmental norms. The Coca-cola company in Plachimad in
Palakkad district has been expropriating over 3,00,000 litres
underground water every day. The government has been protecting and
encouraging these anti-people and anti-national corporates. And here,
the tribals, who were forced to occupy the forest, were bruutally
assualted.
The people's movements from all over India strongly condemn this attack
on the people and we stand in solidarity by our tribal brethern for
asserting their right to life and right over resources.We demand that
the Congress government of A.K. Antony should own up the responsibility
and step down from power. The guilty police officers and all the
officers - be they administrative or otherwise- be meted out exemplary
punishment and they be tried for the culpable homicide.
And, the most important, the tribals should be given lands as per the
agreement with the Chief Minister in 2002.
Medha Patkar
(National Convenor)
P. Chennaiah
Sanjay M. G.
(National Co-Coordinator)
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>>Add a comment
The CPM ,the Communist party in Kerala is playing a bad game making use of the situation for politoical milage.
It was C.K.Janu took up the issue of tribals before the Governmment last year ,she ut up huts around the secretariat demanded to give their land which got public attention.The CPM was criticising Janus agitation and even denanded to remove the agitators and their huts .
Once the Government agreed to alloot land to the tribals
the CPM entered with a new face to claim they were the saaviors of tribals and organised agitations led by Kanaran
CPM leader.It was after the party congress decided to take up the oppressed class agitations, citing the developments in Kerala they had even directed the Kerala leaders.
Even then they could not asucceed in getting the confidence of tribals.Meantime Janu started her agitations effectively and she had gone ahead of any ones expectations.
The CPM wanted to take the credit wanted to alienateJanu
Realising this the Government and Police harassed the tribals.Though the CPM took up the matter in the assembly
they were not sincere.
When the issue got national attention, they are playing the issue for their own advantage.
It was the CPM rule betrayed the tribals of Kerala legislating detrimental to the interests of tribals , then President K.R.Narayanan returned the bill
Now the CPMdemands to ruturn the alienated land also to capture from the big companmies like TATA. If they were sincere they could have taken the initiative
Now it is the crocodil tears
ajaykumar
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the article in the page is too brutal on the police, agreed the police acted out of its real duties but to accuse it without any base would not exactly be proffessional jornalism. the tribals who took shelter in muthanga for 45 days when being forced to evict finally had no reasoning in taking hostege so many forest officials and later during the strike, to hack two ploicemen of which one bled to death.The government has been instrumental in bringing about this horrible incident, i am also not wholly in support of the police. the fact that the area was cordoned off for more than 16 hours and the fact that press was not allowed to meet the tribals in the government hospital, whom the police had beaten to a pulp, all point accusing fingers at the governemnt and the police. The police force runs on government orders, so whose fault is it finally???
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