KALPETTA: A day after A. K. Antony expressed regret over the police brutality in Muthanga during his tenure as Chief Minister, Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha leader C. K. Janu bluntly stated that the Congress veteran cannot be pardoned.
“It’s good that he has realised his mistake. But he doesn’t deserve to be pardoned,” she said. Later, speaking to TNIE, Janu added, “Antony and the Congress are guilty, but the CPM is equally culpable in the entire episode.” According to her, it was the CPM’s Mysore–Kozhikode highway blockade demanding the eviction of tribals from the reserve forest that provoked the police action.
“None of the CPM leaders stood with us in our real struggle for land. Pinarayi Vijayan himself accused us of illegally encroaching on forest land. If this government has any commitment towards the tribal people, let them distribute the land promised to those who took part in the Muthanga struggle,” Janu said.
Muthanga police action victim K. K. Surendran echoed her anger. “I was beaten and mentally harassed at Sultan Bathery police station. The court awarded me Rs 15 lakh compensation in 2021, but Pinarayi’s government went for an appeal. If the CPM truly supports the tribal movement, why did they challenge this?” he asked. Surendran alleged that both the Congress and the CPM worked hand in glove to brand tribal people as troublemakers.
The CPM, however, insists its opposition to the struggle was limited to the location of the protest. Senior leader C. K. Saseendran, who was part of the agitation against the Muthanga occupation, justified the highway blockade organised by the party.
“Building huts in reserve forests is encroachment and against the law. That is why we protested. Still, we condemned the police action,” he told TNIE.