Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan visits Madhu’s house
PALAKKAD: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan got a first-hand experience of the plight faced by Adivasis as he trekked for 500 metres across a rubble-filled path and crossed a stream to finally meet the family members of deceased tribal youth Madhu in Chindakki, Attappadi, on Friday.
The CM arrived at the Mukkali forest guest house at 9.45 am. From Mukkali, it was a 4-km journey and the road was in a very bad shape. Pinarayi switched to a 4x4 police jeep to reach Chindakki. Later, he had to walk through a small winding path and also cross a stream to reach the house of Madhu, who was lynched by a mob last month. Right from Mannarkad to Attappadi, gun-wielding cops dotted the route. In addition, armed Thunderbolts personnel were seen both at Mukkali and near Madhu’s house in Chindakki.
At Madhu’s house, the family members waiting for the CM included Madhu’s mother Malli, elder sister Sarasu (anganwadi teacher) and her husband Murugan, younger sister Chandrika and her husband Murugan (upper division clerk, Mannarkad taluk office).
As the tiled house was too small to accommodate the CM’s entourage, the family members shifted to the verandah. Pinarayi and Kannur MP P K Sreemathy sat on a mat placed on the floor, while Palakkad MP M B Rajesh, Shoranur MLA P K Sasi, Mannarkkad MLA N Samsudheen and CPM district secretary C K Rajendran, among others, chose to stand.
It was Chandrika who spoke on the family’s behalf and submitted a memorandum to the CM. She demanded that the accused should not be given bail as they had committed a grave crime by lynching her brother. Pinarayi replied that it was for the courts to decide. However, he added that the special public prosecutor will effectively argue the case. The accused should get maximum punishment, the family members reiterated.
The CM, who spent around 15 minutes at Madhu’s house, said some people will try to mislead the family by spreading canards and urged them not to be misled by such propaganda. The government will do all it can to assist the family, he said.
The family members told the CM that there were a lot of mentally ill Adivasi patients like Madhu who were wandering around and needed rehabilitation. They also pointed out that the Mannarkad-Chindakki Road was in a very bad state and needed urgent repair. The CM said the contractor had abandoned work due to technical reasons and assured that he will make arrangements to resume it.