Wayanad: District Collector D R Meghasree convened a meeting with Kanjirathinal family members in her chamber on Saturday in an effort to resolve the decade-old sit-in protest by K K James, son-in-law of the late Kanjirathinal George, in front of the Wayanad Collectorate demanding justice.

The forest department had claimed that the 12 acres of land purchased by the family in 1967 were vested in 1976. However, the family termed the move illegal, arguing that the land was acquired before the law came into effect.

James began his agitation on August 15, 2015, after the state government refused to resolve the issue despite a High Court verdict in favour of the farmer. James, the husband of Treesa, the elder daughter of Kanjirathinal George, took over the protest after George's death in 2012.

Following the meeting, family members told the media that the discussion had given them hope. "She listened to us for more than an hour along with officials and recorded our statements regarding our rightful claim to the land," James said. The District Collector also assured them that she would personally visit the land to verify their claims and examine the forest department’s assertions.

James stated that the land originally vested as forest land, according to the department’s map, is separate from their property. He added that the family is willing to accept the compensation package offered by the state government only after the High Court ratifies the move. "Since the High Court cancelled the title deeds in a legal case, we fear that accepting any proposal without court approval could entangle us in further legal troubles," he explained.

When contacted for her comments on the meeting, District Collector D R Meghasree said it was only a preliminary discussion and declined to make any statements. "An elaborate meeting will be held soon, after which I will address the media," she said.
Apart from James, Kanjirathinal Jose, the brother of the late Kanjirathinal George, and Treesa, George’s daughter, also attended the meeting.

The prolonged battle for justice began in 1967 when George and his brother Jose bought 12 acres of Janmam patta land in the Kanjirangad village of Wayanad's Thondarnad. In 1977, the forest department attempted to evict the farmers, claiming the department had notified the land under the Kerala Private Forest Vesting and Assignment Act.

As the move was illegal, the forest tribunal, in a verdict in 1978, reinstated the farmer's right over the land. But later, in 1985, according to James, the forest officials fabricated evidence and won the case.