Subject: An Appeal Made On Behalf of The Chithralekha Rehabilitation Committee, Kannur, Kerala
> > Dear all, > **[Following is the translated text of an appeal released at a press > conference today in Kannur, by the Chithralekha Rehabilitation Committee, > Kannur, ] > > Dear friends, > Despite our pride in having achieved 100% literacy, we have to acknowledge > sadly that Kerala's social life continues to be reigned by several unwrit > rules of caste and gender, rather than by law. A series of incidents that > took place at Edat (Payyanur, Kannur District) starting from organized abuse > and harassment of a dalit woman at her workplace, physically attacking her > for having complained to the police, and finally seeing her only means of > livelihood, an autorikshaw, destroyed by unknown persons setting fire to the > vehicle in the dead of night, and to cap these all, a CITU autorikshaw > workers' union coming out openly to defend the accused persons, seems to > demonstrate this. > Chithralekha had procured her autorikshaw under the PMRY Scheme in October > 2004. Nevertheless, she had to wait for three months before the permission > to park her vehicle in the Payyanur College bus stop Autostand as well as > the membership in the Union was given to her by the CITU Union. > When finally she did succeed in this, she was greeted by an all-male group > of non-dalit autoworkers by the following comments"Look, the pulachi ( > female gender for pulaya, name of a prominent SC) is coming with with her > auto". > Since then, Chithralekha had to suffer a host of humiliations and untold > sufferings. On 11-10-2005, Ajith, a fellow auto driver tore the hood of her > vehicle. She complained to the Union only to be ridiculed and turned back. > Further, a complaint made to the Police ended up with her tormentor being > warned by the police. Obviously outraged by this daring act of Chithralekha > petitioning against a comrade to the police, Ajith along with Pavithran, > Naveen and Rameshan physically attacked Chithralekha at her workplace, the > auto stand on 14-10-2005 morning. They publicly dragged her out from the > vehicle and drove one of the autorikshaws on to her body, which caused > injury to her leg serious enough to stay as inpatient in the Payyanur Govt > hospital for many days. As they were doing all these acts of brutality, one > of them shouted these words" pulachies of your ilk in future shall never > ride auto here, and it is the union's decision" > The above incident has been booked by the Payyanur Police under various > sections of IPC as well as under sections of the SC/ST Atrocities > (Prevention) Act of 1999. This case with FIR No 367/05 is presently posted > for trial before the Special Court (SC/ST Atrocities), Thalassery. > We believe that but for the timely intervention of the District Level > Monitoring Committee which is a statutory committee for monitoring such > cases of atrocities against dalits, the above mentioned case would not have > been booked at all; on the contrary, the dominant caste-gender set up in > combination with the generally existing status-quoist bias of individual > police officers would have ensured impunity for the offenders and further > institutionalization of such crimes. > Even against the successful intervention on the part of the Dist Level > Monitoring Committee to get the case booked and properly pursued, > collectively expressed hatred and openly displayed hostility against > Chithralekha were only heading to a point of vantage. In the night of > 31-12-2005, her vehicle was burned by unidentified persons. This incident > was registered as FIR No 474/05 in the Payyanur Police Station. > As we hear further stories of intimidation and demoralizing of witnesses > by several quarters of vested interests with a view to weakening of > these cases as such, we notice that unless the civil society actively > involves in the process of bringing justice to the victim, this kind of > crimes motivated by caste and gender is going to get institutionalized. > Chithralekha is presently dependent solely on the Monitoring Committee > that includes a few civilian(dalit) representatives and the State mechanism > available. While it needs to be clearly reiterated that without such State > mechanism it would not have been possible to bring the culprits to book > under the relevant provisions of law, the ridiculously unwarranted attempts > to impose virtual compromise on the victim by intimidating and demoralizing > her witnesses and in many other ways need to be resisted. The absolutely > unfair interventions of political manipulators to protect the non-dalit, > male accuseds from the reach of law, in this case, should be effectively > challenged by vigorous pursuit of the Rule Of Law by an informed civil > society. > It is worth mentioning in this context, that a citizens' action committee > based at Payyanur was indeed on the scene until April 2006 to support > Chithralekha. The committee though succeeded in getting an auto for her on > rental basis and as part of their endeavour to restore work to > Chithralekha, it became defunct soon after the election campaign for the > Kerala Assembly picked up momentum. Due to several reasons, Chithralekha was > virtually compelled to return the hired vehicle to its owner. Since then, > she had to support herself and her family by going outside for unskilled > labour in the building sector, evenwhile she refused to compromise in her > determined struggle against the cast-gender hostilities still propagated > against her. > On the 29th August of this year, a new initiative to support Chithralekha > came to existence by forming a new forum based at Kannur, the District > headquarters. The meeting convened by Dr D.Surendranath was personally > attended by Mr. K.K.Kochu,the well known dalit leader.Several other > prominent dalit activists and intellectuals had also extended thier support > to this initiative. This committee was named as Chithralekha > Punaradhivasa (Rehabilitation) Committee and it took stock of the situation > as a whole.,against the background of conspicuous lack of any collective > expression of solidarity with her continuing struggle.The next meeting of > this committee on 4-09-2007resolved to extend unconditional support to > Chithralekha in her struggle for justice.The committee identified the > urgent need of rehabilitating Chithralekha, with the work as well as a > nightmares-free workplace restored to her. For this, it was decided to > purchase a new autorikhshaw for her by collecting the necessary fund from > the people. For carrying out this effectively and transparently, Dr > Surendranath(Chairman), Mr.P.K.Ayyappan (Treasurer) and > Mr.K.M.Venugopalan(Convenor) would jointly operate an account in the Thalap > branch of the > Kannur District Central Co-operative Bank in connection with collecting and > depositing of a targeted fund of Rs1,50,000/= > While we ourselves fully endorse the above mentioned objectives of the > Chithralekha Punaradhivasa Committee,Kannur, we would like to request the > entire civil society of Kerala to come forward in support of these causes > ,viz; of ending hostilities toward a dalit woman and allowing the law to > take the right course on the one hand, and helping rehabilitation of > Chithralekha by restoring her means of livelihood and work. > Hence,we request everybody to make contribution to the Cithralekha > Rhabilitation Fund either by depositing direct to Chithralekha > Rehabilitation Committee SB Ac. No.1 of Thalap branch of CDCC bank of > Kannur ( Kannur District Central Co-operative Bank), or by sending in > Ac.Payee Cheque or crossed DD payable at Kannur, or Money Order, to the > following address :- > Dr.D.Surendranath, > Chairman, > Chithralekha Rehabilitation Committee, > Pallikunnu P.O., Kannur. > > > > Among the persons who have already signed this draft are ---Bhargavi > Thankappan (former Dy Speaker,Kerala Assembly), L.Natarajan ( Retd IAS), > K.C.Venu ( Retired Director, Public Relations, Thiruvananthapuram) > K.K..Kochu (Dalit activist and writer),Sunny Kapikkad (Dalit writer and > activist, Kottayam) , M.B.Manoj ( Poet and Dalit activist, Kottayam), > Rekha Raj (Dalit Women's Forum, Kottayam), K.Panur (Senior campaigner and > writer on Adivasi-Dalit issues & Human Rights, Kannur), K.Venu , > Dr.M.Gangadharan, Dr .A.K.Ramakrishnan (School Of International Relations, > MG University, Kottayam), K.Ajitha (Campaigner in Womens' issues and the > leading activist in Anweshi, Womens'Organization, Kozhikkode) , A.Vasu ( > Human Rights activist, Kozhikkode), Dr.J.Devika (CDS, Thiruvananthapuram), > V.P.Zuhara ( Nisa,Organization For Progressive Muslim Women, Kozhokkode) , > Anivar Aravind (Greenyouth Forum& GAYA, Trissur), B.R.P.Bhaskar (senior > Human Rights campaigner and journalist, Thiruvananthapuram), > Dr.V.C.Harris(School Of Social Sciences, MGU, Kottayam) , > C.K.Janu (leader, Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha, Wynad), Prof Sara Joseph ( > Literatuer and Womens' Rights campaigner, Thrissur), Advocate > P.A.Pauran(PUCL-Kerala, Manjeri), > K.Haridas ( writer and Human Rights activist, Mumbai ), Dr.Jenny Roweena > (Writer and Researcher in Gender and Caste Issues ,Hydbad), Carmel Chrity > (Research Scholar, Hyderabad Central University & activist researcher In > Gender and Caste ), Elizabeth Philip( Sahaja, Womens' Rights organization, > Kottayam), Ranjith Thakappan ( Lecturer, Indira Gandhi Open University, New > Delhi), I.Gopinath (Media Initiatives and Human Rights activist, > Thrissur), Sarat (Thirdeyefilms , Ernakulam), A.Arun (Research Scholar, > Hyderabad Central University), P.Baburaj (Thirdeye films,Ernakulam), > K.K.Ushakumari (Janakeeya Samskarika Kendram, Kodungallur), Radhika Menon > (Forum For Democratic Initiatives,New Delhi), Vinod.K.Jose ( Human Rights > activist and Fellow, Columbia Journalism School, New York), K.P.Sasi( > Human Rights activist and film maker, Bangalore), Bauraj.K (writer and > activist, Kodungallur), Shyla.K.John (Secretary, AIMSS, Kerala), Advocate > Kasthuri Devan (social activist, Kannur), Dr.A.K.Jayasree( womens'rights > campaigner,Rajamundri, A.P) ,Dr.K.M.Seethi (School Of International > Relations and Political Science, MG University, Kottayam), Deepa > V.N(Sahayatrika, Kerala), Girija > K.P (Kerala),S.Sanjeev (Kerala), Rev Sunil Raj (Bangalore), Mustafa > Desamangalam ( Media and Films activist, Kerala), Sudeep Joseph (Bangalore), > Bobby Kunju (Human Rights and Legal activist,New Delhi),Sandhya > P.C(GAIA,Thrissur, Kerala), Anil Tharayath Varghese (National Centre For > Advocacy Studies, Pune), Dr.Ratheesh Radhakrishnan (Kerala), > Shinaj.P.S(Hyderabad > Central University), I.K.Shukla (Writer, Los Angeles ) ,Sushovan Dhar > (Radical Politics,Mumbai).Subhash Lokjith (Pune), Sukla Sen, (Peoples' Media > Initiative, Mumbai ), George Pulikuthiyil (Jananeethi Institue, Kerala), > Bindhulakshmi (Hyderabad), Ajay(People's Watch), Dr.Sanal Mohan (School Of > Social Sciences, MGU,Kottayam), Salim.T.K (Greenyouthsgooglegroup), Savad > Rahman (Journalist, Kochi),Rajesh Ramakrishnan (Activist and Researcher, New > Delhi), Dr.Soma Marik( Kolkatha), Dr.T.T.Sreekumar ( Academic / Asst > Professor, National University Of Singapore), Gilbert Rodrigo (Pondicherry > Fisher peoples' forum),T.Peter (Secretary, National Fishworkers' Forum & > President, KSMTU,Kerala), Dileepraj ( writer and Human Rights campaigner, > Kerala ). > > We look forward to your co-operation in further spreading the > message. . > thanking you, > for Chithralekha Rehabilitation Committee, Kannur . > > Kindly use the following postal addresses/ emails as well, for future > communication: > > Dr.D.Surendranath, > ( Chairman, Chithralekha Rehabilitation Committee), > Pallikkunnu P.O; > Kannur-4, > Kerala (State), > S.India > Pin code- 670004 > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > phone: 04972-701279 > > > P.K.Ayyappan > (Treasurer, Chithralekha Rehabilitation Committee) > Ariyil.P.O; > Pattuvam (via),Taliparamba > Kannur Dist, > Kerala (State) . > Pin Code- 670143 > Phone: 09447488215 > > K.M.Venugopalan, > Convenor, Chithralekha Rehabilitation Committee, Kannur. > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > phone: 09447488215. > > C.K.Vishwanath, > Member, Chithralekha Punaradhivasa Committe, kannur > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > phone: 04985-277680. > > With immense gratitude to everybody and In solidarity, > K.M.Venugopalan. > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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