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

By A 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

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge — Blurring the line between fiction and political narrative

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" does not wait to be remembered; it arrives almost on the heels of its predecessor, released on March 19, 2026, just months after the first film’s December 2025 debut. The speed of its arrival feels less like creative urgency and more like calculated timing—cinema responding not to storytelling rhythm but to the emotional climate of its audience. Director Aditya Dhar, along with actor Yami Gautam, appears acutely aware of this moment and how to harness it.

BJP accounts for 99% of political donations in Gujarat: Corporate giants dominate

By Jag Jivan An analysis of the official data on donations received by national parties from Gujarat during the Financial Year 2024-25 reveals a staggering concentration of funding, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for nearly the entirety of the contributions. The data, compiled in a document titled "National Parties donations received from Gujarat during FY-2024-25," lists thousands of transactions, painting a detailed picture of the financial backing for political parties from one of India’s most industrially significant states.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor* Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.

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.

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”

Search This Blog