Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary
Prakash Karat on Sunday urged the people to fight for the democratic
rights of Vittala Malekudiya, a postgraduation student of Mass
Communication at Mangalore University, who has been arrested on charges
of having links with Maoists. He said a delegation of CPI(M) MP's will meet chief minister of Karnataka D V
Sadananda Gowda on May 28 and discuss the release of tribal's, Vittala
Malekudiya and his father Linganna. He was speaking after meeting Vittala and Linganna Malekudiya at the
district sub-jail. He said that the charges made against Vittala and Linganna Malekudiya
of waging war against the state was 'totally absurd' and said that they
would challenge it in High Court and even Supreme Court if necessary.
Vittala Malekudiya complained about the problems faced by Malekudiyas
in their village Kuthloor and said that they had faced harassment from
the Anti Naxal Force. He said that the medical report of Linganna
Malekudiya, who was admitted to Wenlock hospital was not yet provided,
to determine the cause of Linganna's injury. Meanwhile, doubts on whether Vittala will be allowed to attend his
second semester examinations starting from Monday, May 21 was cleared as
the district fast track court allowed him to attend examinations. Prakash Karat
hoped that the University would allow him to write his examinations
without bowing to pressure.
CITU state leader and CPIM Dakshin Kannada District Secretary Com B Madhava, DYFI district president Muneer Katipalla and others were present.
Later Speaking at a seminar
on the menace of naxalism and the Government's atrocities on human
rights of adivasis and tribal people here, Com Prakash Karat said that draconian
laws were being invoked against him in the name of controlling Maoism.
“If we do not fight and defend the basic democratic rights of Vittala
and his father, then we will eventually suffer … repression of our own
democratic rights … of all of us.” He vowed to fight his case till the issue was quashed and urged people to support him ignoring their party affiliation.
Clarifying
that the CPI(M) opposed Maoist ideas of waging war against the State,
Mr. Karat said it was the exploitation of adivasi people by the
Government that led to naxalism.
The real focus should be on ending the all-round attack on adivasis.
He
said that Maoists who exploited tribal people ran away when the police
came looking for them leaving the tribal people to fend themselves. Mr.
Karat, who met the student and his father earlier in Mangalore sub-jail,
expressed his happiness that the committees had been constituted in
Mangalore and Bangalore to fight the case of the arrested student. A district defence committee was also formed during the occasion, to
fight for the release of Vittala and Linganna Malekudiya. President of
Maanavatha Vedike Yashwanth Maroli was elected president of the
committee. Noted author Sara Aboobaker is vice-president, with Muneer
Katipalla as the general secretary. The defence committee consists of
lawyers, journalists, writers and thinkers of the region.The
Mangalore Committee includes
Yashawanth Maroli of Manavathavadi Vedike, advocate Dinesh Hegde Ulepady, activists T.R. Bhat and
Vasudev Uchila, student leader Jeevan Kuttar, and Konkani cultural
leader Eric Ozario.
Honnamma, mother of Vittala
Malekudiya, said that Rs. 22,000 was taken away when the house was
searched. She said that they earned that money through sale of minor
forest produce. Mr. Karat asked her and her daughter Rajeevi not to be
scared and that his party had taken up their cause. Mr. Ulepady, who has
taken the case of Vittala, said that he would bring this fact to the
notice of the court. Ms. Honnamma said they did not have a bank account
to keep the money.
Courtesy : The Hindu
Photo Courtesy : Mangalorean.com
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