People's Democracy

IDUVAI village panchayat president and popular CPI(M) leader, Comrade Rathnasamy, was brutally murdered by political rivals on the night of March 12, 2002 at Iduvai , near the hosiery town of Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu. The issue was immediately raised in the state assembly by K C Karunakaran, MLA who demanded immediate nabbing of the culprits. This was supported by all political parties and the chief minister Jayalalitha assured the House that expeditious efforts would be made to nab the perpetrators of this heinous crime.

A month later, the murderers are still at large. The CPI(M) state committee at its recent meeting held at Pondicherry, took a serious view of the matter and directed the Party committees in Chennai, Coimbatore and Tiruppur to conduct protest demonstrations on April 12 against the laxity of the police in nabbing the culprits. Powerful demonstrations took place in these three cities which were addressed, among others, by N Sankaraiah, N Varadarajan and K Thangavel.

A Party delegation also met the Director General of Police and provided vital information for their investigations. It has warned that if no time-bound action is forthcoming from the administration, the Party will resort to intensified democratic actions for seeking justice and instilling confidence in the minds of people and in particular those who work for public causes.

The murder of Com. Rathnasamy has shocked the conscience of the peace loving, democratic-minded people of the state. He was returning home late in the night on March 12 when he was attacked by a well-armed gang. He was stabbed repeatedly leading to his death on the spot. His body was then stripped of all clothes except undergarments and hanged from a nearby tree. The murderers left a note at the scene which stated that Rathnasamy was killed because he supported the dalit cause and was causing problems to the dominant caste of the area. It also said that he was killed because he was a Communist.

This pre-meditated and well-planned murder evoked strong condemnation from the people. Tiruppur town observed a total bandh on March 13. Thousands of people attended the funeral procession. The state secretary of CPI(M) N Varadarajan was one of the first persons to reach the town to join the mourners. Rallies were held and an all party public meeting was organised on March 14 in the town.

There were spontaneous protests throughout the state. In Chennai, a protest demonstration was held in which amongst others Selvasingh, CPI(M) state secretariat member, Balabharathy, M.L.A., U Vasuki, state committee member and the district secretary T Nandagopal addressed the gathering.

Later, for nearly 10 days the entire state leadership of the Party was engaged in the 17th Party Congress which took place in Hyderabad. On return from the Congress, to their dismay, they had found that no meaningful effort was made by the state administration for nabbing the culprits despite the assurance of the chief minister on the floor of the house immediately in this regard. So, the Party immediately called for more actions to press the government to nab the culprits.

38 year old Comrade Rathnasamy first joined as a DYFI member and worked in various mass organisations. He later worked in the Party in various committees. He was elected as the president of Iduvai Panchayat in a multi-cornered fight during the Panchayat elections held in September 2001. CPI(M) party candidates contested independently and won considerable number of seats in that election, in which Iduvai was also one. He had won the seat in the 1996 elections also.

He worked with great devotion for the cause of the people who voted him to power. He stood his ground in a steadfast manner against encroachment of public properties; he supported the dalit cause; he protected the minorities. All this drew the ire of political rivals and the dominant caste groups of the area. Two years ago an attempt was made on Comrade Rathnasamy's life, which he survived narrowly. A police complaint lodged then, is yet be investigated. CPI(M)'s request for his protection was not given necessary attention by the police.

Comrade Rathnasamy is survived by his wife and two girl children. The CPI(M), at all levels, paid rich tributes to the memory of Com. Rathnasamy for the supreme sacrifice he had done for the cause of the people. CPI(M) members throughout the state have responded in a big way to the call given by the state committee to collect fund for taking care of Com. Rathnasamy’s family.