‘Sivagiri, Muthanga actions were required by law’: AK Antony dares Pinarayi to release reports

Thiruvananthapuram: Former Kerala Chief Minister A K Antony on Wednesday countered Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s allegation in the Assembly that incidents of police brutality were more common under United Democratic Front (UDF) rule.

“For the past 21 years, I have faced many attacks. I thought I would respond only after the Assembly elections. But after yesterday’s allegation, I felt I should speak now,” Antony said. He challenged the government to make public the CBI report on the Muthanga eviction and the Justice V R Krishna Iyer report on the Sivagiri incident.

On Sivagiri, Antony said he had the highest respect for Sree Narayana Guru but was compelled to act in 1995 to enforce a Kerala High Court order. “It was unfortunate, but unavoidable. The diplomatic route failed and the court had warned that non-compliance would amount to contempt of court,” he said.

In October 1995, a 500-strong police team entered the Sree Narayana Mutt at Sivagiri, the spiritual centre of the influential Ezhava community, amid a bitter factional feud among sanyasis. They came under attack from more than 2,000 supporters of Swami Saswathikananda, leading to clashes that injured over 200 people.

Defending his role in the 2003 Muthanga eviction, Antony said he was the Chief Minister who allotted the most land to adivasis. “We could not allow them to remain inside the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary. A CBI report has also been submitted. Has any government since then allowed adivasis to stay there? It has been 21 years since I left the CM’s chair,” he pointed out.

The Muthanga incident followed a protest by the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha (AGMS), which had occupied land in the sanctuary demanding land promised by the state in 2001. On February 19, 2003, police and forest officials moved in to evict the protestors, leading to violence and widespread criticism.

Justice B Krishna Iyer, in a preliminary report, described the police action as “excessive and totally unwarranted” and faulted the government for failing to address tribal grievances peacefully. He also accused political parties on both sides of exploiting the issue for political gain.

The three-hour Assembly debate on custodial torture on Tuesday ended in a standoff, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan fending off criticism and the UDF announcing a protest strike inside the House until the police officers accused of assaulting Youth Congress leader Sujith are dismissed.

The LDF countered opposition charges by listing incidents of police excesses both before and after Independence. From the Wagon Tragedy, Kayyur and Karuvellur under British rule to Kakkayam, Thankamani and Muthanga during Congress governments, the ruling side sought to highlight a long record of custodial violence.

Chief Minister Vijayan argued that Congress governments, from the time of Jawaharlal Nehru, had continued the colonial policing model introduced by the British. By contrast, he said, it was the first Communist government in 1957 that attempted to give policing in Kerala a human face. “Whenever the Congress returned to power, they reverted to the brutality of the British system,” Vijayan alleged.