''I would have shared many things about Kannur activism; but not now.'' -----why?
On Sat, Jan 23, 2010 at 1:52 AM, gk31.vinod gk31.vinod <[email protected] > wrote: > Unbelievable ! > Does this happen in kerala, that too in KANNUR, the marxist's own land ! > > > > On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 7:47 PM, jenny rowena <[email protected]>wrote: > >> Dear Friends, Most of you must be aware of Chithra Lekha *(please see >> details of her case below)* and her brave struggle to make a living as an >> auto rickshaw driver in Kannur, Kerala. Many of us had contributed to help >> her procure an auto rickshaw after it was burned, allegedly by CITU >> activists. >> >> >> Recently, Chithra Lekha was trapped in what she says is a false case and >> taken to the police station and beaten up. Though she has been let off now, >> she has many injuries and has no way to question the violence that has >> happened to her. *(A detailed report of the incident by Venugopal who >> visited Chithra Lekha and talked to her, is given below).* >> >> >> >> Though a few people have been trying for a whole day, we are finding it >> difficult to get many people at the local level to intervene actively in >> this case. There are not many who are ready to stand against the CPM or >> CITU. And some of those who raised their voices are penalised for the same. >> Chithra finds herself alone in many ways and is so distressed that she is >> even thinking of surrendering the auto rickshaw that she has procured with >> all our help and going back to the life of exile as before If this happens >> then it would be like the local goons have succeeded in driving out a Dalit >> woman from her village and stopped her from doing the work that she had >> wanted and chosen to do. >> >> >> >> Friends if we do not do anything now soon it might be too late. It would >> be like we are standing and watching while a woman who has put up such a >> brave struggle is ostracized and thrown out of her own native place. Let us >> please all stand in solidarity with Chithra Lekha at this juncture. >> Please respond to this issue as soon as possible. >> >> >> >> We are thinking of a fact finding commission and also making the issue >> publicly known. Whoever is interested in joining the commission please write >> to us. >> >> >> >> Please make this issue known widely and let as many people as possible >> decide to intervene. >> >> >> >> Also please call up Chithra Lekha and extend your moral support to her at >> this point. >> >> Here are her numbers: *9526128764* and *9744361941* >> >> >> >> Any other help and suggestion is also welcome >> >> >> >> Anil Tharayath Varghese – 009971170738 >> >> K M Venugopal - 9447488215 >> >> Jenny Rowena P - 09868216719 >> >> Carmel Christy – 09958500931 >> >> >> >> >> >> *Given below is a Report of what happened recently by K M Venugopal, who >> was a member of the 2008, Chithra Lekha rehabilitation committee:* >> >> >> >> The Payyanur Auto Workers, CITU is again continuing its policy of hatred >> toward the couple, one of whom is a dalit woman whose auto rickshaw had >> been set fire and destroyed in 2005 December, following a series of >> incidents >> of harassment at work place. The incident narrated by Chithralekha and her >> husband Sreeshkanth, is >> as follows: >> >> This morning, Chithralekha was about to park her auto rikshaw in front of >> a medical shop to buy medicine for their son who had received a sting by >> honey bee. She was also accompanied by Sreeshkanth, her husband. One Mr >> Ramachandran who is an office bearer of the Autorikhaw Union of Payyanur >> menacingly asked her to move her auto away from the parking spot. She >> replied that she had the lawful permit to park and had every right to do so. >> >> >> >> >> An altercation followed between the couple and a few auto workers. After >> a few moments, a police jeep arrived and bundled the couple to the vehicle. >> They got severely beatings by the autoworkers even as they got into the jeep >> and in presence of the police. When Chithralekha told the Inspector that her >> valuables and cash were inside the auto rickshaw, the officer assured them >> that that would be taken care of. >> >> >> After reaching the Police Station, the couple were severely beaten. A >> woman police Officer beat Chithralekha black and blue and her sari was >> almost pulled off. Later, Sreeshkanth was taken to the hospital for a check >> for intoxication; though Chithralekha also was compelled to get examined, >> she protested and resisted the move, sensing that the police were >> acting in a biased manner and they would get her booked for driving >> inebriated under a false testimony by some doctor. >> >> Chithralekha was later released but had to go to the hospital due to her >> injuries. She has injuries all over the body and also in the lower stomach. >> She is not only in great pain, but is also left almost alone without no help >> from any one in questioning the actions of the union workers and the police. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> *The Chithra Lekha Case* >> >> * * >> >> Chithra Lekha was born into a Pulaya family, which is an ex-untouchable >> caste in Keralam. After her marriage to Shreeshanth a Thiyya (an OBC caste) >> auto driver, she went on to buy an auto rickshaw - KL 13L 8527 in Chitra >> Lekha’s name under the PMRY loan scheme. >> >> The auto stand in Payyannur in which Chithra Lekha wanted to drive her >> auto was controlled by the CITU, the trade union that belongs to the >> Communist Party of India, Marxist (CPI (M)). In order to drive her auto, >> Chithra Lekha had to be granted a membership card from the CITU. This card >> was delayed for more than 2 months as the party was already angry with >> Chithra Lekha for having married above her caste. >> >> In spite of such harassment Chithra Lekha turned out to be a competent >> driver and became very popular with her customers, especially women. When >> she started her career there had been a coin operated phone at the auto >> stand where the customers would call for drivers. Soon, Chithra Lekha >> started getting the most number of calls from this phone. This she feels >> disturbed her fellow male drivers. After a few months she bought a mobile >> phone and now people started calling for her even more than before. This >> made the drivers feel even more threatened. >> >> >> >> All these problems took a violent turn during the Navami or Saraswathy >> Pooja days when Chithra Lekha placed her auto in the common Pandal for * >> pooja*. When she came to take back the auto on the next day, that is on >> October 11, 2005, she found that the hood of her auto was torn. Ajith, one >> of the CITU members who had threatened her earlier was standing there and >> she asked him why did he tore the hood. He retaliated saying that if you >> don’t keep your limits you will also be torn like this. She complained about >> the incident to Rameshan, fellow auto driver and the Secretary of the local >> branch of CITU, but to no avail. Since there was no response from Rameshan >> or CITU, she lodged a complaint with the police after two days. When she >> came back to the stand on October 14th Rameshan gave her a two hour >> punishment of abstention, for having taken the case out of the stand to the >> police station. Chithra Lekha declined to obey it, at which point an angry >> Rameshan tried to run over Chithra Lekha with his auto. She moved to the >> other side of the road and escaped the attack. However she sustained minor >> injuries and had to be hospitalized. Yet another compliant was lodged >> against Rameshan and he was arrested. Immediately CITU members unleashed a >> poster campaign in support of Rameshan. They stuck posters and wrote on the >> walls of the panchayath that Chithra Lekha and her mother were loose women >> who were bringing up the issue of caste only to hide their immoral natures. >> Soon, violence took its worst form when her auto was burned to ashes on the >> small hours of December 30th 2005. With the help of Ayyappan Master, a >> Dalit activist and member of the police committee to prevent atrocities >> against SC/STs, Chithra Lekha lodged a complaint against six CITU members >> including Ajith and Rameshan. The case was registered under IPC 143, 147, >> 148, 341, 352, 324, 294 (B), 506 (1), SC/ST S3 (1) XI R/W and 149. An action >> committee was also formed to protest against what happened and also to >> rehabilitate Chithra Lekha ** >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Green Youth Movement" group. >> To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]<greenyouth%[email protected]> >> . >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB. >> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Green Youth Movement" group. > To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<greenyouth%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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