CHENNAI: Taking offence to the L&T and Adani Kattupalli ports not reinstating the 10 fishermen, who were earlier booked in a clash case, even after a court acquitted them over two years ago, around 150 families residing in Kattupalli Kuppam near Ponneri have decided to boycott the Lok Sabha elections. They will raise black flags on the houses and stage a hunger strike on Friday, the day of polling.
These families were relocated to Kattupalli Kuppam by the government to commence construction of the Kattupalli port. The fishermen here were offered employment at the ports. Meanwhile, around 10 fishermen from the village were suspended from work after the police booked them in a criminal case in connection with a clash in the area.
Consequently, the port workers’ cooperative society also suspended the membership of these fishermen on February 24, 2016. On February 25, 2022, the Judicial Magistrate Court in Ponneri concluded trial in the case and acquitted the 10 fishers.
Before long, the cooperative society also reinstated their membership. However, the port management is still refusing to recall them for work. “We fought the case and have been rightfully acquitted by the court. But, the management is not taking note of this. We are struggling to find odd jobs and make ends meet,” said V Udhayakumar, one of the suspended workers.
The police department in a letter to the port administration had clarified that there is no pending case against the workers. Following a representation from the workers, the Ponneri sub-collector also conducted an inquiry into the matter. Subsequently, the official recommended the port administration to reinstate the acquitted workers.
Kannan, a resident of Kattupalli Kuppam, alleged that the port administration has not responded positively to their request. “We were forced to boycott this election as our plight has not been addressed even two years after the acquittal,” he added.