---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Venugopalan K M <[email protected]> Date: Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 1:09 AM Subject: Chithralekha : We were "Bundled to a Police Jeep and Severely Beaten at the Behest of the CITU Auto Union Leaders, Payyanur, After They Alleged Us Being Inebriated" To:
Chithralekha : "We were Bundled to a Police Jeep and Severely Beaten at the Behest of CITU Auto Union Leaders, Payyanur, After They Alleged Us Being Inebriated" 20-01-2010, Payyanur (Kerala): The Payyanur Auto Workers, CITU is again continuing its policy of hatred toward the couple, one of whom is a dalit woman whose auto rikshaw 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 severe 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 autorikhsaw, 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. As they were detained at the Payyanur Police Station, the couple were found trying to send SOS to people outside through a mobile phone, the police intervened to snatch the phone and switch off it. Finally, they were released in the evening . When the auto was brought back to her, she found the papers and other articles intact, but the cash missing. On the previous day, she had borrowed an amount of Rs 10,000 from an auto driver named Sadanandan, in order to pay certain urgent dues in respect of repair of her house. The sum of Rs 10,000 had been in a bag kept in the space between the back seat of the Auto and the back inside of the body of the vehicle. After finding the theft, she rushed back to the Police Station and gave a complaint. She is having severe body pain due to the beatings she received inside the jeep and after reaching the Police Station. Chithralekha, a mother of two school going children was weeping as she narrated her seemingly unending ordeals: will they allow us to live in Payyanur? Why should I be alive if I'm not able to feed my children who have not ate anything until this time of the day(about 8pm)? She sobbs.. [A few human rights activists and media persons though got involved in helping Chithralekha in this latest episode of violence , there are practically very few in Payyanur who are coming forward to provide UNCONDITIONAL support to the couple, who face virtual ostracizing. Chithralekha, a dalit has been working with the autorikshaw that had been gifted to her by virtue of some citizens' initiative mainly located at Kannur and supported by people from everywhere, to rehabilitate her after she had been thrown out of work since her auto had been destroyed by unknown persons by setting fire sometime in the night of Dec 30, 2005. The police/party/ CITU version of the episode could be something entirely different from the above, from what Chithralekha has personally communicated to me over phone; I wish I could do more in supporting the couple, whose long history of endurance in the face of ostracizing by a community of Left authoritarians and a subject people is well known.. You may remember that Payyanur , just a few days ago has seen an extra ordinary act of bullying against renowned social critic and writer Paul Zakhariah. As long as the the ugly face of extra legal - extra constitutional cultural high ground dressed up as 'Left' is proudly displayed at large, nothing is going to change in Payyanur; but let us stop the usual bickering and at least have some patience to listen what people like Chithralekha would tell us about her day to day struggles in a place with a 'Left' ambiance ] -- You cannot build anything on the foundations of caste. You cannot build up a nation, you cannot build up a morality. Anything that you will build on the foundations of caste will crack and will never be a whole. -AMBEDKAR http://venukm.blogspot.com http://www.shelfari.com/kmvenuannur http://kmvenuannur.livejournal.com -- You cannot build anything on the foundations of caste. You cannot build up a nation, you cannot build up a morality. Anything that you will build on the foundations of caste will crack and will never be a whole. -AMBEDKAR http://venukm.blogspot.com http://www.shelfari.com/kmvenuannur http://kmvenuannur.livejournal.com--
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