SC/ST protection panel to launch protest against alleged injustice to Dalit woman

The Scheduled Caste/Tribe Protection Committee is planning to launch a mass protest against the alleged injustice meted out to an elderly Dalit woman at Nellikode, whose property has been reportedly marooned by land mafia.

Committee secretary Sathish Parannur told The Hindu that the authorities, including the District Collector and the District Police Chief, had not paid heed to the woman’s complaints, and hence the committee and the complainant were forced to go on a protest.

The land in question belongs to Sumathi, 62, a resident of Nellikode in Kozhikode. Her five-cent plot at Palazhi along the NH Bypass has a four-feet-wide approach road as per land records. However, the owner of a large plot beside the approach road has allegedly encroached on it and dug a deep trench through it, thus preventing Sumathi from entering her property, let alone construct a house there.

Over the last two months, the woman has knocked on all doors possible to resolve the issue, but to no avail. Besides the District Collector and the District Police Chief, she had complained to the Revenue Divisional Officer, village office, Mining and Geology department, and the Pantheerankavu police seeking justice, but there has been no response.

from entering her property.

The Scheduled Caste/Tribe Protection Committee is planning to launch a mass protest against the alleged injustice meted out to an elderly Dalit woman at Nellikode, whose property has been reportedly marooned by land mafia.

Committee secretary Sathish Parannur told The Hindu that the authorities, including the District Collector and the District Police Chief, had not paid heed to the woman’s complaints, and hence the committee and the complainant were forced to go on a protest.

The land in question belongs to Sumathi, 62, a resident of Nellikode in Kozhikode. Her five-cent plot at Palazhi along the NH Bypass has a four-feet-wide approach road as per land records. However, the owner of a large plot beside the approach road has allegedly encroached on it and dug a deep trench through it, thus preventing Sumathi from entering her property, let alone construct a house there.

Over the last two months, the woman has knocked on all doors possible to resolve the issue, but to no avail. Besides the District Collector and the District Police Chief, she had complained to the Revenue Divisional Officer, village office, Mining and Geology department, and the Pantheerankavu police seeking justice, but there has been no response.

“The owners of large plots of land on both sides of the approach road wanted Sumathi to sell off her property so that they could combine their plots for a construction project. As she refused to sell the land, they tried to mount pressure on her by blocking the road. Revenue officials too are party to the injustice,” Mr. Parannur said.

The committee wants the authorities to take action against the land owner who blocked the approach road under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and to restore the approach road to its previous state.

Courtesy : The hindu

Note: This news piece was originally published in thehindu.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights .