[Reader-list] Chengara heaves a sigh of relief

[Anivar Aravind]

Chengara heaves a sigh of relief

Pioneer News Service | Pathanamthitta

The march by the workers belonging to different trade unions in
Pathanamthitta district and led by the pro-CPI(M) CITU to the estates
of Chengara where thousands of Dalits and Adivasis were staging a
13-month-long agitation passed off peacefully on Wednesday with the
timely intervention of the Marxist leadership and the efficient
deployment of the police personnel in places by the District
Administration.

The march, which had shot up the social and political temperatures in
the State and spread panic among the more than 7,000 agitators
demanding land livelihood for their family, was blocked by the police
about a kilometer away from the estate and the workers dispersed after
a dharna there.

The intention of the march was meant to forcefully evict the agitators
from the estate so that the workers of the estate would get their jobs
back.

The CPI(M) leadership had reportedly spoken to the district CITU
leaders on Tuesday night after the agitators in the estate reiterated
their resolve to commit suicide en masse if anybody forcefully entered
into the agitation camp.

Following this, the leaders of the various trade unions including
CIYU, AITUC and BMS agreed to the request of District Collector PC
Sanal Kumar to avoid violence in the estate.

However, the BMS had even earlier said that their workers would
withdraw from the march at the first hint of any violent action from
the marchers. But the tension and panic in Kerala over the Chengara
issue refused to subside with the trade unions giving an ultimatum to
the District Administration on Wednesday that they would again march
to the estate and take appropriate action to evict the agitators if
the issue was not settled before September 10.

Till then, the workers would continue their siege on the paths leading
to the estate.

This raised the fear of yet another humanitarian crisis in the estate
as the workers threatened not to allow any of the agitators to get
into or get out of the estate during the siege.

The fear and tension in the entire Pathanamthitta district and also in
Kerala had risen after the trade unions refused to abandon their march
and the Sadhu Jana Vimochana Samyuktha Vedi spearheading the agitation
for land declaring that they would commit suicide en masse if the
workers entered the estate.

On Wednesday, police blocked the march which started at Konnappara by
more than 3,000 workers, including women, at Athumbunkulam, about a
kilometer away from Chengara estate.

The District Administration had mobilised more than 1,000 police
personnel, even drawing them from the neighbouring districts with all
implements to meet any type of emergency in estate.

District Collector Sanal Kumar had reviewed the situation with visit
to the place on Tuesday evening. Deputy Collector V Balakrishnan and
tahsildars of Kozhenchery, Ranni and Thiruvalla taluks had stationed
in Athumbunkulam as executive magistrates to issue necessary orders if
things got out of hand for the police.

All the Dy SPs in the district under Superintendent of Police AJ James
had been present there to lead the more-than-one thousand strong
police force to handle any kind of mishap.

N Mahesan, Revenue Divisional Officer, Adoor coordinated the entire team.

Reacting to the day's developments, Opposition leader Oommen Chandy
said the LDF Government had failed in settling the Chengara issue.

The Government should provide land for the landless and to protect the
interests of the workers, he said while speaking at a fast held by
Chengara Agitation Solidarity Committee in Thiruvananthapuram.

Meanwhile, reports came out that a campaign was on to spread wrong
messages that the Dalits and Adivasis under the Sadhu Jana Vomochana
Samyuktha Vedi were preparing to face the challenge from the trade
unions in the same coin.

Vedi leaders said that there were efforts from some interested
quarters to spread wrong reports that the agitators were preparing for
a Muthanga-like attack against intruders.

They said that they had held this agitation for the past 13-months in
the most peaceful manner without causing any problems for anyone.

The greatest strength for them was in their power to tolerate anything
and everything and there was no effort to pursue the path of violence,
Vedi leaders said.



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