Kerala Left admin, Sangh Parivar "come together" to oppose protest against anti-Dalit "caste wall" around temple

By Our Representative
Is Kerala’s Left government, headed by CPI-M, taking the same stance as that of Sangh Parivar on the contentious issue of Kerala’s Nair Service Society (NSS) allegedly forcibly seeking to occupy a public ground surrounding the Vadayambadi Temple in Vadayambadi in Ernakulam district, Kerala, being opposed by the Dalit rights group Bhoo Avakasha Samara Munnani?
It would seem so, if information provided by the National National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), the apex body of tens of mass organizations of India, is any indication. “Fortifying their occupation, NSS has built a ‘caste wall’ in order to prevent the Dalits entering the temple”, NAPM has contended in a statement.
Pointing towards how the Left government administration is behaving, NAPM said, if the district collector "denied the permission to conduct a Dalit convention" to make its view opposing the 'caste wall' known early this month, threatening protesters for "any possible circumstances", Sangh Parivar "goons and other right-wing fundamentalists approached the protest site and created ruckus by manhandling and threatening the protesters”.
The NAPM statement particularly criticised the Kerala police for using "brutal force" against activists of the land rights movement, Dalit Bhoo Avakasha Samara Munnani, which wants the open ground to be made available for public, even as seeking "demolition of the ‘caste wall’."
It said, even when the convention was taking place peacefully, the police "broke-in, and activists, including Chairman of Samara Munnani, CS Murali (President of Kerala Dalit Masabha), Gomathi and Penpillai Orumai, were injured. Activists present at the protest site were dragged through the road and arrested.”
Pointing out that, on Ambedkar Jayanti last year, a similar wall erected by NSS was “pulled down by protesters”, NAPM said, “NSS then went on occupying the land producing fake land records and promptly built a huge arch entrance including a wall", adding, “The present protest programme, demanding the demolition of the wall, has been continuously facing threats from the government and police since its beginning."
Noting that there have been “successive attacks on the protest site and arrest of activists and even the media persons”, NAPM said, “During a similar incident on January 21, two journalists Abhilash Padacheri and Ananthu Rajagopal Asha, along with one of the leaders of the movement, Sasidharan, were arrested on false charges.” One activist, VK Joy, was also put into custody, and is "still behind the bars."
Calling the Kerala government’s attitude towards the protesters “anti-Dalit”, criticizing it for unleashing “police raj”, NAPM said, “The protesters are bing continuously harassed by the state officials in order to suppress the voice of dissent.”
“As of now, police seems to be silent and not ready to take any action against the perpetrators”, NAPM said, adding, “In contrast to the lawful duty entrusted upon a public servant, The SI of the concerned police station has been trying his best to suppress the movement with different means, including public caste defamation.”
“He is same person who led the force today to the arrests... Among the activists, Gomathi, has been badly injured during the police action and was denied the hospital facility. Dr PG Hari, who questioned this discrimination at the police station, had to face their rage and he was physically manhandled by the policemen.”
Those who have endorsed the statement include well-known social activists Medha Patkar, Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Shankar Singh, Prafulla Samantara, P Chennaiah, Binayak Sen, Kavita Srivastava,Gabriele Dietrich, Geetha Ramakrishnan, Sandeep Pandey, Sister Celia, Maj Gen (Retd) SGVombatkere, Arundhati Dhuru, Manesh Gupta, Vilayodi Venugopal, CR Neelakandan, Prof Kusumam NAPM, Anand Mazgaonkar, Krishnakant, and others.

Comments

'Draconian' Kerala health law follows WHO diktat: Govt readies to take harsh measures

By Dr Maya Valecha* The Governor of Kerala has signed the Kerala Public Health Bill, which essentially reverses the people’s campaign in healthcare services in Kerala for decentralisation. The campaign had led to relinquishing of state powers in 1996, resulting in improvement of health parameters in Kerala. Instead, now, enforcement of law through the exercise of power, fines, etc., and the implementation of protocol during the pandemic, are considered of prime importance.

Reject WHO's 'draconian' amendments on pandemic: Citizens to Union Health Minister

By Our Representative Several concerned Indian citizens have written to the Union Health Minister to reject amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted during the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA75) in May 2022, apprehending this will make the signatories surrender their autonomy to the “unelected, unaccountable and the whimsical WHO in case of any future ‘pandemics’.”

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah* The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Bihar rural women entrepreneurs witness 50% surge in awareness about renewal energy

By Mignonne Dsouza* An endline survey conducted under the Bolega Bihar initiative revealed a significant increase in awareness of renewable energy among women, rising from 25% to 76% in Nalanda and Gaya. Renu Kumari, a 34-year-old entrepreneur from Nalanda, Bihar, operates a village eatery that serves as the primary source of income for her family, including her husband and five children. However, a significant portion of her profits was being directed toward covering monthly electricity expenses that usually reach Rs 2,000.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Work with Rajasthan's camel herders: German scientist wins World Cookbook Award 2023

By Rosamma Thomas* Gourmand World Cookbook Awards are the only awards for international food culture. This year, German scientist Ilse Kohler Rollefson , founder of Camel Charisma, the first of India’s camel dairies, in Pali district of Rajasthan, won the award for her work with camel herders in Rajasthan, and for preparing for the UN International Year of Camelids, 2024.

Why is electricity tariff going up in India? Who is the beneficiary? A random reflection

By Thomas Franco* Union Ministry of Power has used its power under Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003 to force States to import coal which has led to an increase in the cost of electricity production and every consumer is paying a higher tariff. In India, almost everybody from farmers to MSMEs are consumers of electricity.

'Very low rung in quality ladder': Critique of ICMR study on 'sudden deaths' post-2021

By Bhaskaran Raman* Since about mid-2021, a new phenomenon of extreme concern has been observed throughout the world, including India : unexplained sudden deaths of seemingly healthy and active people, especially youngsters. In the recently concluded Navratri garba celebrations, an unprecedented number of young persons succumbed to heart attack deaths. After a long delay, ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) has finally has published a case-control study on sudden deaths among Indians of age 18-45.

Hazrat Aisha’s age was 16, not 6: 'Weak' Hadith responsible for controversy

Sacred chamber where Prophet and Aisha used to live By Dr Mike Ghouse* Muslims must take the responsibility to end the age-old controversy about Hazrat Aisha’s age at the time of her marriage to the Prophet (pbuh) – it was 16, not 6 (minimum was 16, Max 23 per different calculations). The Hadiths published were in good faith, but no one ever checked their authenticity, and they kept passing on from scholar to scholar and book to book. Thanks to 9/11, Muslims have started questioning and correcting the Hadiths, Seerah, and mistranslations of the Quran. Now, the Ulema have to issue an opinion, also known as Fatwa, to end it and remove those Hadith entries. Mustafa Akyol, a scholar of Islam, implores Muslims to stop deifying “the received traditions” and critically study their religious past, shedding rigid legalism and close-mindedness. Someone else used the phrase “copycat Muslims” to identify scholars who copied what was given to them and passed it on without researching or questioni

'Pro-corporate agenda': Odisha crackdown on tribal slum dwellers fighting for land rights

By Our Representative The civil rights network Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), even as condemning what it calls “brutal repression” on the Adivasi slum dwellers of Salia Sahi in Bhubaneshwar by the Odisha police, has said that the crackdown was against the tribals struggling for land rights in order to “stop the attempts at land-grab by the government.”

Search This Blog