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Academics, Activists Condemn Police, RSS Outfit Violence Against Dalits in Kerala’s Vadayampady

Dalits have been fighting against ‘a caste wall’ built around the
community space in their neighbourhood in Vadyampady for over a year
now.

Representative image. Credit: PTI

New Delhi: Around
50 academics and activists on Thursday released a statement condemning
the police and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-sponsored violence against
Dalits in Vadayampady in Kerala.

For over a year now, Dalits have
been fighting against ‘a caste wall’ built around the community space
in their neighbourhood in Vadyampady, east of Kochi.

On February
6, 2018, six RSS activists were arrested for allegedly threatening noted
Malayalam poet Kureepuzha Sreekumar in Kollam district when he was
returning after addressing a gathering at a function on February 5
night. Sreekumar had expressed his solidarity with Dalit protestors.

The issue was raised in the Kerala assembly on Tuesday, and chief
minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office directed the police to take action
and conduct a probe into the incident.

Read the full text of the statement below.

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Statement Condemning Violence Unleashed by the Police and the RSS Outfits Against Dalits in Vadayampady

We the undersigned express our grave concern over the brutal violence
unleashed by the State Police and the RSS outfits against the Dalits in
Vadayampady in Kerala. Dalits in Vadayampady are protesting over a year
now against the ‘Caste Wall’ built by the upper caste blocking Dalits
from entering into the common space/playground used by the public for
decades. The peaceful protest by Dalits against the wall of exclusion is
met with brutal attacks by the police force of the state commanded by
CPI-M led left government, as well as by the upper caste in the locality
led by the RSS. It is indeed shocking that the police manhandled and
arrested those who went to Vadayampady in solidarity, and also to
participate in Dalit Self Respect Convention, including well-known
activists and writers such as K.K. Kochu, K M Salim Kumar, C S Murali,
Mrudula Devi Saidharan, Dr. Dhanya Madhav, Dr. P G Hari, KK Baburaj, and
Gomathi Augustine of Pembillai Orumai.

Ironically, the police
acted as spectators when the RSS attacked the Dalit protesters. The
violence in Vadayampady is one among the several recent instances of the
police brutality and connivance in the RSS led onslaught against Dalit
protestors and media reporters in the state. It is alarming that even
the state police forces commanded by a left government is colluding with
the right wing religious extremists to protect the interest of the
upper caste, their illegal claims and acts of social segregation. This
and the subsequent inaction by the law enforcing agencies had enabled a
vacuum in law and order leading to physical and verbal assault against
poet Kureepuzha Sreekumar by the RSS outfits on his way back to his home
after declaring his solidarity with the Dalit protesters. We strongly
condemn the attack on Kureepuzha Sreekumar.

We are also concerned
about the cold response of the government and the left parties who
attempt to side-line the police violence as a ‘minor issue’. CPI-M and
other left parties in the government are supposed to be part of the
progressive forces of the country. But it is felt that the Dalit-Adivasi
agitators are often portrayed by even the dominant left as
Maoists/anarchists/terrorists in their attempt to strategically
delegitimise the Dalit-Adivasi Struggles. We are afraid that this would
result in the weakening of fight against various social injustices
while increasing the attack on the marginalised groups in the country.
The current Dalit struggle in Vadayampady which has been ongoing for
more than a year has roots in how Dalits, Adivasis and other
marginalized groups in Kerala have been discriminated against accessing
public places, and deprived of land and resources by both left and right
wing governments. We feel strongly than ever now that the situation of
state forces colluding with right wing religious forces unleashing
violence against Dalit protesters in Kerala is equally alarming that of
the cases of from elsewhere from the country and needs to be resisted.
We call forth all the progressive forces in the country and beyond to
contempt and challenge the increasing violence against the Dalits and
urge those agencies whose mandate to uphold the values and rights
promised in the constitution to take steps to bring the culprits before
the law in a befitting manner.

§

Signatories:

Ruth Manorama, National Convenor, National Federation of Dalit Women, Delhi
Anand Teltumbde, Writer, political analyst and civil rights activist with CPDR, Maharashtra
Gajendran Ayyathurai, Postdoctoral Fellow and Study Advisor, Centre
for Modern Asian Studies, University of Gottingen, Germany
Sharika Thiranagama, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, United States
Virginius Xaxa, Professor of Eminence, Tezpur University, Assam
M. Kunhaman, Professor, TISS, Mumbai
Rupa Viswanath, Professor, Centre for Modern Asian Studies, University of Gottingen, Germany
A.K. Ramakrishnan, Professor, School of International Studies, JNU, Delhi
K. Satyanarayana, Professor, EFLU, Hyderabad
Sanal Mohan, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences and Hon. Director, IUCSSRE MG University, Kerala
Asha Kowtal, General Secretary, Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch
M. Amruth, Historian and Sociologist, KFRI, Thrissur, Kerala
T.M. Yesudasan, Retired Professor and Writer, Kerala
K.S. Madhavan, Writer, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Calicut
Cynthia Stephen, Writer and Researcher
Sylvia Karpagam, Public health doctor and researcher.
Ravichandran Bhathran, Founder of Dalit Camera
Karthik Navayan Batulla, Writer, Human Rights Activist
Irfan Engineer, Director of CSSS, Mumbai
Sruthi Herbert, SOAS, University of London, United Kingdom
M.B. Manoj, Assistant Professor, Department of Malayalam, University of Calicut
Vikramaditya Thakur, Assistant Professor, University of Delaware, United States
Rekha Raj, Programme Manager-Women Rights, Amnesty International, Bengaluru
Rajesh Komath, Assistant Professor, School of Social Science, MG University, Kottayam
Parthasarathi Muthukaruppan, Assistant Professor, EFLU, Hyderabad
Sumeet Mhaskar, Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Student Affairs, O.P. Jindal Global University , Delhi.
Abhilash Thadathil, Assistant Professor, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram
Mythri Prasad-Aleyamma, Associate Fellow, Institute of Human Development, New Delhi
Anish Vanaik, Assistant Professor, O.P. Jindal Global University, Delhi
Varsha Ayyar, Assistant Professor, Centre for Labour Studies, TISS, Mumbai
T.V. Sajeev, Scientist, KFRI, Thrissur
Brahmaputhran, Daya Hospital, Thrissur
Prashanth Bansode, Associate Professor, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune
Satheesh Kumar, Assistant Professor, History, University College, Thiruvananthapuram
M.V. Bijulal, School of International Relations and Politics, MG University, Kottayam
N. Gopakumaran Nair, HoD, History, University College, Thiruvananthapuram
K.M. Sheeba, Associate Professor, Department of History, Sree Sankaracharya University, Kalady, Kerala
Dickens Leonard M, Guest faculty, Univ. of Hyderabad.
Mythri P.U., School of Distance Education, University of Calicut
Manju E.P. PhD Research Scholar, Univ. of Hyderabad
Sanjay Kumar Paswan, Independent research consultant for social sector agencies, Patna
R. Manohar, Regional Coordinator, Human Rights Defenders Alert India
Dr K. Babu Rao, Human Rights Forum, Hyderabad
Sukla Sen, Peace Activist, Mumbai
Subhash Gatade, New Socialist Initiative
Siddharth, Independent Researcher, Bengaluru
Jayaseelan Raj, Assistant Professor, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Maya K.S, Writer, PhD Research Scholar, Christ College, University of Calicut, Kerala
Prameela, Assistant Professor, Sanskrit Sahitya, Sree Sankaracharya University, Kerala
Jentle Varghese, Guest Lecturer, Government College, Kottayam, Kerala
Chandran Komath, Assistant Professor, Government College, Kottayam, Kerala