People's Democracy

(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)


Vol. XXXVI

No. 36

September 09, 2012

 

 

KERALA NEWSLETTER


Case Foisted Against Deshabhimani Bureau Chief

 

N S Sajith


SHOWING its real face of hostility towards the Left media, the UDF government of Kerala foisted on September 5 a police case against K M Mohandas, Thiruvananthapuram bureau chief and special correspondent of Deshabhimani daily, on the basis of a news story. This also exposes the collusion between the right wing media in the state and the police, more so in regard to investigation of the T P Chandrashekharan murder case. The police have issued the summons to Mohandas, a former member of the SFI’s Central Secretariat, asking him to present himself before the Crime Department DSP in Vadakara.

 

It was the first case in Kerala of foisting a case against a scribe on the basis of a news story. Such an incident was not heard of even in the dark days of Emergency.

 

It is to be noted that in regard to the Chadrasekharan murder investigation, a news story written by Mohandas and published as the lead story in Deshabhimani, thoroughly exposed the details of the phone calls made by Josy Cherian, the DSP of the special investigation team (SIT), to the mobile phones of journalists who were extensively covering the developments of the case. This hot expose proved the CPI(M)’s argument that the SIT and certain journalists had a tacit understanding about planting stories against the CPI(M) in regard to the murder.

 

Deshabhimani chief editor V V Dakshinamurthi and general manager E P Jayarajan have condemned the government's move. The Kerala Union of Working Journalists has also criticised it as a move against press freedom.

 

EMERGING KERALA

OR EMERGING CORRUPTION?

The resistance against the UDF government’s much publicised Emerging Kerala project is spreading. Close on the heels of the CPI(M) led opposition, green activists and a section of UDF legislators too have started criticizing this dream project the government.

 

The opposition LDF has already registered its protest against the programme which will be inaugurated by the prime minister in Kochi on the 12th of this month. The three-day grand affair is meant to lure the investors from abroad. The LDF has said it would not cooperate with the venture, alleging that it appeared to be a ruse to sabotage the very land reforms which entirely transformed the face of the state. The LDF also said that the September 12 event is planned to hand over natural resources to private business interests.

 

Though the chief minister Oommen Chandi, the mastermind behind the investors meet, refuted the allegation and made it clear that the government would press ahead with the event, the revolt made by a section of legislators justified the stand of the LDF. LDF convener Vaikom Vishwan said the government should make it sure that this venture remained corruption free and transparent.  According to Chandy, it is not a mere exercise to lure investments but a large venture to obtain ideas, concepts and strategies to take Kerala forward.

 

Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan said that LDF will not participate in this programme as did not promise to be corruption free. Scams like those in the 2G spectrum case and coal allocations are likely to get repeated in Kerala, he added.

 

In the meanwhile, noted poet and environment activist Sugathakumari, also voiced concern over the government’s greed to loot the natural resources. She said the people of Kerala would not allow the government to hand over forest, river, watershed area and other natural resources to big business groups in the name of development.

 

Recent reports show that a Edu-Health city project costing Rs 2,266 crore is going to be launched in Panakkad where the headquarters of the Muslim League are situated. A plot of 183 acre has been earmarked for this purpose under the Emerging Kerala project. The excessive interest of Muslim League leaders in this move has already been evident.

 

On the other hand, six MLAs from the UDF have publicly voiced their protest against the Emerging Kerala project through a blog named ‘Green Thoughts Kerala.’ V D Satheeshan, T N Prathapan, Hibi Eden, V T Balram (all from Congress), K M Shaji (Muslim League) and Sreyams Kumar (Socialist Janatha) jointly warned the government that the public space should not be given to business tycoons. These legislators claim that they are practising green politics. They also said the thrust should be on the public sector units instead of seeking to mollycoddle the private investors.

 

P JAYARAJAN

GETS BAIL

The CPI(M)’s Kannur district secretary P Jayarajan, who was imprisoned on a fabricated murder charge in connection with the death of Shukkur, a Muslim League worker, got bail on August 27, 2012. While granting him the bail, the High Court bench severely criticised the prosecution and turned down its demand to prevent the entry of Jayrajan in Kannur district.

 

In Kannur, Jayarajan was given a warm reception in the Central Jail premises. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Central Committee member K K Shailaja, James Mathew (MLA) and K K Ragesh were also present at the reception.

 

Justice Babu P Mathew also rejected the plea of T Asaf Ali, the director of prosecution, to extend the remand of Jayrajan. Asaf Ali had said that Jayarajan’s presence in Kannur would hamper the investigation. The court observed that this demand could not be entertained as P Jayarajan was the district secretary of a responsible political party. The court did not ask him to deposit his passport either, as he has deep-rooted relations with the people. The court also asked how Jayarajan could be responsible for an incident that took place after his arrest, and how he could give instructions to his party workers while he was in jail. The court granted him the bail as the investigation had been completed and the chargesheet submitted.

 

Jayrajan was arrested on August 1 after he was summoned to the Kannur town CI office, and charged under Section 118 IPC (concealing the design of murder). His arrest caused widespread protest all over Kerala.

 

ANOTHER TOWERING

LIE COLLAPSES 

The misuse of government machinery and media is in full swing in the Oommen Chandi regime in Kerala. The endeavour of the police force, which has turned to be a junior ally of United Democratic Front, and the right wing media that is embedded to their political bosses, is to defame the CPI(M) at any cost. These synergised efforts of the police and media reached a height when CPI(M) district secretary P Jayarajan and T V Rajesh (MLA) were implicated in the Shukkur murder case. 

 

One may recall that Shukkur, a Muslim League worker, was found dead in Ariyil near Thalipparamb in Kannur, while P Jayrajan and Rajesh were on a visit of the area. The police started its investigation when the campaign was in full swing in connection with the byelection in Piravam constituency. The cooked-up news stories that appeared in major newspapers like Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi quoted the investigation team to allege that it was a kangaroo CPI(M) court that had meted out capital punishment to Shukkur. These stories also said the two CPI(M) leaders were aware of the plan of murder and had sent Shukkur’s pictures to the culprits through MMS. This venomous propaganda vitiated the whole electoral campaign in Piravam. 

 

Chief minister Oommen Chandi and his colleagues launched an all-out attack on the CPI(M) during the campaign on the basis of these stories. As soon as the news of Chandrashekharan’s murder broke out, the media did not take time to link the two murders in order to tarnish the image of the CPI(M) and of Jayarajn, secretary of its Kannur district committee. 

 

But the chargesheet submitted by the investigation team in the Judicial Magistrate’s court at Kannur on August 23, literally demolished this tower of lies. There was no mention of a kangaroo court or of MMS in the 450-page chargesheet. Though it made 33 persons accused culprits in the case, it failed to put forward any solid evidence. This is yet another proof of the lies and manipulations the Congress led government has been resorting to in order to attack the CPI(M). It is worth noting that the chargesheet in the Chandrashekharan murder case too had failed to establish the previous lies.