People's Democracy

KERALA NEWSLETTER

Brutal Police Action against Agitating Students

N S Sajith

ALL over the state, the police force unleashed brutal atrocities on the students agitating against the commercialisation of education. Students under the banner of Students’ Federation of India have been protesting against the unholy nexus between the UDF government and the self finance medical college managements.

On June 24, the scene in Thiruvananthapuram City was barbarous following the police brutality in Kochi and Kannur. The assembly march organised by the SFI demanding protection of public education was severely attacked by the police force with sten grenades, tear gas shells and water cannons. More than hundred students were injured. 25 students were admitted in various hospitals. SFI state office bearer A A Rahim also suffered injuries.

Hearing the news of police atrocities, CPI(M) legislators E P Jayarajan, Dr Thomas Isaac, A K Balan, Sriramakrishnan, T V Rajesh rushed to the scene from the assembly where the governor R S Gavai was delivering speech underlining the UDF government’s policy.

SFI president V K Sumesh said that the police were responsible for this brutality. The demonstration was peaceful and some officers made deliberate provocations.

CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan visited the students admitted in the hospital. He said that the brutal police attack reflects the apathy of the UDF government towards the struggles for genuine causes. The people of Kerala will take up this struggle to protect public education. Oommen Chandy who emerged from student politics should not unleash the police force to crush the struggles, he said.

Continuing the atrocities, the police again attacked the students on June 29. State leaders belonging to the Students’ Federation of India and the All India Youth Federation and the All India Students Federation were violently lathicharged by the armed police men.  R Rajesh, MLA who is also state joint secretary of the SFI suffered severe injuries. University college student Saranya was admitted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. Around hundred students and youth were admitted in various hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram.

The SFI organised the secretariat march against the government’s moves to abolish merit seats from the self finance medical colleges. When the march reached the secretariat, police started brutal lathicharge and hurled grenades. The youth and student activists were protesting peacefully.

When the students started dispersing, the police followed and beat them up. Then they entered into the University College and beat the students indiscriminately. They hurled 22 granades. The city police commissioner Manoj Abraham himself led the violence. SFI state president K V Sumesh, vice president A A Rahim, Kerala University Union chairman Lenin, district president Balamurali, AISF state president Pradip Kumar, A Sajan, Udayakumar, Ramya, Lekha were severely injured.

Cholera Spreads in Wayanad;

Five tribals dead and 56 hospitalised

In Wayanad, a northern tribal district of Kerala, five persons have succumbed to Cholera in last one week. The callous attitude of the UDF government in the field of health is responsible for these tragic deaths. The lack of preventive measures in the monsoon season caused the spread of the disease. 56 tribals were admitted to various hospitals in Wayanad and Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode.

An expert committee appointed by the department of health confirmed that the epidemic is Cholera. Indian Medical Association said that the utter callousness of health department caused the spread of the Cholera.

Wayanad, which was infamous for the farmers’ suicides is now facing a new threat from the seasonal diseases. The previous LDF government came to the rescue of the farmers by introducing farmers’ debt relief act. The welfare measures of the LDF also helped this backward tribal district to move forward. During the five years of LDF, no suicide or death due to epidemics occured. The burdens of the central government policies were minimised by the welfare measures of the previous government.

The opposition has raised the issue in Assembly and staged a walkout. A Pradeep Kumar (CPIM) and V S Anilkumar (CPI) raised the issue through an adjournment motion. A Pradeep Kumar said that the government has shown no mercy to the victims of Cholera. The health department failed to implement the steps to check the disease, he said in a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram.