No
Justice For Muthanga Victims -
They Fall Down And Die
By B F Firos
03 March, 2003
countercurrents.org
A
year has passed since the tragic turn of events in Muthanga when a brutal
State clamped down on the rightful protest of Adivasis (tribals) for
the right to land. The larger Kerala society has viewed the Adivasis
struggle with indifference and at times with hostility. But with the
announcement of a new political party for the marginalised tribals,
the Adivasi is sending a clear message that he is going to fight his
battles by joining the mainstream society and taking it on.
It is history now.
February 19, 2003: the day when a ruthless State with all its brutal
force suppressed the genuine cause of the weak and the marginalised.
It was on this day that the forces of the State mercilessly went on
a rampage on the tribals at Muthanga in Keralas Wayanad district,
leading to the death (officially) of one Adivasi and a policeman. It
has been a year since then and lots have changed except the misery and
hardships of the tribals in this district. The tribals rightful
clamour for land still remains unfulfilled even as the State government
goes on with its empty promises.
The unexpected turn of events that led to the Muthanga tragedy was the
culmination of the States inaction on the Adivasis just
demands for a homeland. When the State government failed to keep its
promise on the distribution of land to the landless Adivasis, hundreds
of them encroached upon the Muthanga wild life sanctuary
on last January 5. Days later, policemen fired indiscriminately at the
tribal group that included women and children. One tribal was killed
in the police firing, while many others were wounded. A policeman who
was held hostage by the tribals was also killed in the fight.
The mainstream media,
and the State government tried to demonise the tribals by alleging that
they were connected with militant groups like the LTTE. There were even
attempts to connect the tribals agitation to Naxal groups. But
all these allegations have proved to be groundless as none of these
sabre-rattlers or media analysts couldnt establish any terrorist
connection. The Chief Minister A K Antony had defended the police action
by saying that what had happened in Muthanga was an armed rebellion.
The gory incidents
in Muthanga attracted international condemnation. The world at large
came to know about the kind of hardships the tribals had been undergoing
for their very survival. The National Human Rights Commission dismissed
the reports of both the police and the State government on the incident,
and suggested an enquiry by an independent agency like the CBI. Even
though the government ordered a CBI enquiry, justice continues to elude
the tribals. Worse, the CBI officials have pinned the blame on the Adivasis.
Some of the tribals were reportedly even beaten up by the CBI officials
during interrogation.
The wounds, both
physical and psychological, caused by last years bloody events
remain unhealed. Lots of tribals who were wounded in the police action
are struggling to get back to normal life. They are the living martyrs
of State brutality. Like Velayudhan. After being injured in the police
firing, he lives the life of a recluse, cocooned in the darkness of
his hut.
Then there is Tankamani
(22) of Erankolli colony, who escaped narrowly from the police bullets.
On that dreadful night, she tried to flee from the police. Before dawn,
the police caught her and began ruthlessly bashing her up. When she
fell unconscious, the policemen went on to kick her. Soon she was hospitalised
and imprisoned. She is now completely devastated and unable to perform
any work.
The State government
has been driving home the point that only one tribal was killed in the
firing. In fact, video footages taken by a Malayalam channel questions
this version by the State. It highlights the case of Njenan (43) who
had participated in the Muthanga struggle. Along with several Adivasis,
he was also taken to jail and tortured. After coming out of jail, he
used to omit blood frequently and was unable to do any work. One day,
he fell down dead in the paddy field, with blood oozing out of his nose
and mouth, recalls his wife. Was this a normal death? No. He died
because of severe torture by the police, says Njenans sister
Onathi. It was after the imprisonment that he started bleeding
from his head. He told me about the kind of torture methods used by
the police. They used to thrash his head with lathis and then kick him
in his head. But Njenans death wasnt reported by the
media, nor was this issue taken up by any organisation. Isnt his
death directly related to the atrocities committed by the police in
Muthanga? How can Njenans death be placed outside the realm of
February 19?
The story of Gopalan
(32), another Adivasi, is different from that of Njenan, but here again,
police torture played a large part. So much so that Gopalan came back
to his dear and near ones as a deranged person, and then committed suicide
last September. His parents and wife say that ever since his return
from Kannur Central Prison, he used to behave strangely. They say that
at nights, he used to perch atop trees after screaming that he was being
chased by the police. After examining him, a native physician diagnosed
that he had sustained a serious injury in his brain. Though Gopalan
had started taking herbal medicines, one night he ran out of home shouting
that somebody was chasing him to beat him up. Later, he was found dead.
Both his parents assert that he had never shown any kind of mental disturbance
before the police torture. Gopalan is survived by his wife and two kids,
who are now in the throes of poverty and despair.
The police atrocities
in Muthanga should also be viewed in the context of the above-mentioned
two cases. Njenan and Gopalan would have been alive today if the State
had dealt with the Adivasis grievances in a civilised manner.
And for sure, there are several more Gopalans and Njenans.
Cut to Balan (35)
and his 60-year-old mother Poli who were part of the agitating group
of Adivasis in Muthanga. They recall that police started to fire without
issuing any warning. Both of them were at that time in the temporary
shed put up by the tribals. After grabbing them from the shed, the police
beat them up, breaking the hand of the old woman. Balan is now a wreck,
and unable to carry out normal chores.
Malu is another
innocent victim of police brutality although she was not part of the
protest group. When things were hotting up in Muthanga, she was taking
rest as she had given birth only a few days back. Since some tribals
from her colony had taken part in the agitation, the police searched
her colony as well. Fearing police torture, all the tribals in the colony,
including Malu, escaped to the forest. They had to hide inside the forest
for several days without any means for food or water. Thats when
Malu suffered the biggest tragedy of her life. Her seven-day-old infant
died as it could not cope with the hostile conditions in the forest.
It couldnt have got more worse for Malu as she was childless for
several years after marriage.
Surendran, a teacher,
was also picked up by the police after the Muthanga incident. Constantly,
for as many as 12 hours, he was subjected to severe torture by the policemen.
His crime: teaching the Adivasi children. The police arrested him on
the flimsy ground that his phone number was found in the diary of a
tribal leader. Due to the incessant torture, Surendran has now lost
his hearing capacity, and he complains of acute pain in his hips. He
is still haunted by the abuse hurled at him by the policemen. He says
the policemen were blatantly racist. Surendran is planning legal action
against the errant policemen.
Veliyan (22) is
another Adivasi who bore the brunt of the States boot. The police
bullet hit his leg, and a bleeding Veliyan limped deep into the forest.
After four days, he was found lying in coma and was taken to the hospital.
His legs still give him acute pain and sleepless nights.
These are the ghosts
of a States way of dealing with dissent. To make matters worse
and more inhuman, the Antony government, far from tendering an apology
over the brutal acts of the policemen, has not even bothered to carry
out relief measures. Scores of Adivasi men, women and children have
been traumatised by the events, but the government machinery has been
looking the other way. All that the government is vehemently concerned
about is in haunting those people, including journalists, who cried
foul at the brutal State action.
Muthanga has become
a symbol of how a cruel State can terrorise the poor and the hapless.
And it is both intriguing and appalling that such a gross case of human
rights violations, has been taken lightly by a society that prides itself
on its literacy, cultural refinement and social responsibility.
But the Adivasi
may no longer be looking to this society for redemption; with the recent
announcement of a new political partyRashtriya Mahasabha--for
Keralas Adivasis, the Adivasi has made his intention clear to
fight his own battle by taking on the mainstream society.