Togadia Spews Venom in Marad

Aboo Backer

FRESH from participating in the RSS meeting at Kanyakumari, the VHP leader Praveen Togadia visited Marad, which was recently rocked by communal violence, to further raise the communal temperature. While addressing a meeting of RSS workers in this coastal village, Togadia gave a call for demolishing the mosque at Marad. He threatened that if anyone tries to rehabilitate the Muslim population at Marad, there would be a Marad III or a repetition of Gujarat in Marad. He also called for the demolition of all madrasas in the country saying that the madrasas are places where terrorism and anti-Hindu sentiments are taught.

These communal outpourings of Togadia would, of course, have been music to the ears of the wolfish Muslim fundamentalists in Kerala. Marad has been suffering the onslaughts of the Hindu fascists and Muslim fundamentalists in the recent past. In a short span of one and half years, the village has lost fourteen valuable lives in the communal violence. The state government stands a silent spectator.

Following the killing of nine persons in May 2003, the place has been under virtual control of the RSS. The Muslim population has fled for their life into other places. Their only solace and safety is the CPI(M)-led refugee camp at Chaliyam. The governmental farce at rehabilitation of the forlorn families numbering about four hundred ended in a fiasco due to the inactivity of the police and the disturbances caused by the RSS cadre.

It is alleged that both the state government and the Sangh Parivar are acting in tandem for perpetrating the Marad issue in an attempt to weaken the working class movement of the state.

It is high time the Government of India and the respective state governments ban all organisations spreading hate and canard.

POLICE ATTACK STUDENTS AGAIN

Meanwhile, for the second time in a span of one week, the Kerala police attacked students who were protesting against the commercialisation and privatisation of education in the state. The police targeted the Left student organisations, which held these demonstrations in various districts. While strongly condemning these attacks, the student leaders pledged that their struggle will continue till the policy is reversed by the government.

OPPOSITION WALKOUT

The CPI(M)-led opposition staged a walkout in the Kerala assembly on July 9 condemning the “brutal” police action against the students, particularly the  handcuffing of students who were taken into custody in connection with their agitation against the educational policies of the government.

The opposition members staged the walkout when the government opposed an adjournment motion, sought to be moved by Mathai Chakko (CPI-M), on the police action against SFI students at Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kottayam, Wayanad during a demonstration against the hike in the annual fee for students of self-financing professional colleges.

Earlier, Chakko alleged that 51 students were hospitalised following the brutal police lathicharge at eight centres in the state. About 66 students, including girls, were arrested in connection with the agitation and they were beaten up inside the lock-up.

Before leading the LDF members out of the House, leader of the opposition, V S Achuthanandan, said there was no justification for the brutal police action against the students who were holding a peaceful agitation. He demanded that strong action be taken against the police personnel who were responsible for the handcuffing of the students.