Because this can be a moment of taking some urgent steps to support the victims ; I believe that their plight of total neglect by the Kannur - Payyanur human rights activists could rather be remedied by concrete action, fully inspired by a constitutional mechanism, rather than by the social dynamism seen in Kannur with a 'Left' ambiance but much lacking in sensitivity to the grievances of the marginalized.
On Jan 23, 10:18 am, chandra kumar <[email protected]> wrote: > ''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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