Adivasi-Dalit groups to renew Muthanga justice demand with rights declaration
Adivasi and Dalit organisations are set to intensify their campaign for justice in the 2003 Muthanga land agitation, with a gathering and Declaration of Rights scheduled in Sulthan Bathery on Sunday, August 9, marking the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
The event, organised by the Muthanga Solidarity Committee, will be held at the Municipal Town Hall, also known as Jogi Nagar. Bommi Amma of Cheeral, the oldest surviving participant in the struggle, will inaugurate the gathering at 9 a.m. Sivan Yogi, son of Jogi, who was killed in police firing during the agitation, will preside.
Participants in the struggle will share their experiences, followed by a cultural procession through the town. A public meeting at Jogi Nagar at 4 p.m. will be inaugurated by Ambedkarite Democratic Front (ADF) State working chairperson K. Ambujakshan. Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha (AGMS) general secretary P.G. Janardhanan will make the Declaration of Rights.
The Muthanga agitation has drawn fresh attention after the Kalpetta Principal Sessions Court on July 31 acquitted all accused, including social activist M. Geethanandan, in the case related to the murder of police constable K.V. Vinod. However, the court convicted Geethanandan and three others on other charges, sentencing each to five years of rigorous imprisonment.
In a joint statement on Saturday, the organisers said the programme is being held against the backdrop of nearly 25 years of struggles by indigenous communities for land, control over natural resources, self-governance and justice. They said the government, under an agreement following the 2001 Kudilketty Samaram, was bound to distribute one to five acres of land to landless Adivasis. The failure to implement this agreement led to the Muthanga agitation, during which Adivasi families erected huts on their “ancestral land” inside the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary in Wayanad and launched a peaceful protest.
The organisers claimed that the subsequent police firing and attack on protesters occurred without negotiations or warning. Jogi, killed in the firing, has not received justice as no proper investigation has been conducted, they said. They also alleged that around 55 people, including an eight-month-old child, died later after being subjected to police atrocities.
They further stated that a direction from the then National Human Rights Commission to conduct a comprehensive probe into alleged human rights violations, including against women and children, was not implemented.
