KOCHI: The National Federation for Indian Women and Kerala Mahila Samajam came out strongly against the police action on the members of the Anti-Sarfaesi People’s Movement and other protestors.
According to Annie Raja, general secretary of National Federation for Women, arresting people even before they had a chance to stage protest is a highly deplorable act.
“The police didn’t even follow the usual procedure of allowing the meeting to take place. We have seen and been to many protest meetings, but this is for the first time the protestors were hauled off en-masse without any provocation,” she said.
“The Sarfesi Act (2002) amended by the Modi Government in 2016 is anti-people. It allows banks and other financial institutions to auction residential or commercial properties to recover loans. It is a draconian law and people have been raising their voice against it. In Preetha Shaji’s case, the bank went ahead with the auction process without even sending a notice. The family was ready to pay back the amount and needed only some time to raise the money,” said Annie. Actually, Preetha had paid some amount of the loan, she said.
According to Annie, the federation had submitted a memorandum before the Finance Ministry highlighting Preetha’s plight.