Nileswaram (Kasaragod): A group of CPM activists prevented workers from harvesting coconuts in a field owned by a family facing a party ban over issues concerning the acquisition of land for the approach road.
A 70-year-old woman, her daughter, and grandchild were subjected to abuse and threats in Palayi, a CPM stronghold within the Nileshwaram municipality. The footage captured by the family is circulating on social media, wherein a person can be heard shouting, "Pinarayi is still ruling this state, remember." The video also shows the assault on a coconut tree harvester.
M K Radha, granddaughter of Elichi Kannan, a veteran of the Kayyur rebellion, daughter of freedom fighter P P Kumaran, who relinquished his pension, and wife of Raghavan, a leader of the CPM's teachers' association, was abused, and dislodged from her home in Palayi years ago when she refused to surrender her land for an approach road leading to a proposed shutter-cum-bridge across Thejaswini River.
The family claims that although the police were present during the incident, they did not intervene. A complaint has been lodged with the Kanhangad DySP. The incident occurred on MK Radha's premises near Palakozhuval Bhagavathy Temple.
The family alleges an unofficial ban has been imposed on them for nearly eight years, preventing them from harvesting coconuts on their property. As local workers refused to assist them, laborers from Padannakkad were hired to harvest coconuts on Saturday. Radha, her daughter MK Beena, and Beena's daughter T Ananya were present on the premises.
Meanwhile, CPM local secretary P Manoharan claims the altercation ensued when external workers questioned those from the Palayi area. Locals intervened when the landowner mistreated the workers. He further stated that the family's actions were an attempt to stir controversy after the court dismissed cases related to the Palayi shutter-cum-bridge.
Following her husband's death, Radha raised her three daughters, who are now all employed. While she resides with them, she occasionally visits her house in Palayi. Radha perceives the hostility against her as a blatant effort to seize her property.
In 1998, Radha and Raghavan purchased a house on 1.5 acres and relocated with their three daughters. At the time, a nearby temple utilized a portion of the property for Poora Kali rituals. They offered the temple an alternative space for the ritual dance, transferring 4.75 cents to the temple and constructing a structure costing Rs 60,000. However, the temple allegedly demanded another location for Poora Kali, citing divination, and did not return the land initially given by the family. Eventually, the temple encroached on another site without returning the land.
Palayi, a CPM stronghold, also controls the temple committee. In April 2017, a large crowd entered their property and used a JCB to fell numerous coconut and arecanut trees to clear a path for an approach road to the proposed shutter-cum-bridge, encroaching on their land despite an existing road behind the temple.
