[Imc-india] The Unthinkable is Happening Here In Kerala

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Eye witness account of the muthanga police firing by a journalist who=20
was present at the scene=20
http://www.countercurrents.org/hr-sharif.htm

Muthanga Police Firing: The Unthinkable is Happening Here In Kerala


By V. Muhammad Sharif

It all began on the 18th of February when the Adivasi Gothrasabha=20
volunteers captured and made hostage 10 police men, three foresters=20
and 43 others who came into the Thakarapadi forest. There are two=20
versions why they came into the forest. The official version is that=20
these people came to the forest to control the fire allegedly lit by=20
the striking adivasis. The adivasis argue that the force came to the=20
forest to kill them by lighting a fire around them and that's why=20
they took them hostage. The strikers argue that the officials and=20
their collaboraters had brought with them elephant dung in order to=20
lit it and throw it into the forest. They even showed to the=20
reporters, the elephant dung captured from the jeep in which the gang=20
arrived .

On the next day, with the mediation of the district collector, the=20
hostages were released. The account given by the hostages were=20
contradictory. Some said that they were sent to put out the fire,=20
some others said that they were asked to set fire to the forest.=20
There was an effort to hide Jayan, the 12 year old boy, who told the=20
reporters that he was asked to light the elephant dung with kerosene=20
and throw it into the forest.=20

At the same time, there was a demonstration going on outside the=20
forest for the blood of the Adivasi Gothrasabha leaders,=20
Geethananthan and C. K. Janu. The police and the foresters who easily=20
outnumbered the 100 odd demonstrators could not control them. The=20
demonstrators broke the police cordon and entered the forest held by=20
the strikers. The strikers also came from the otherside with bows and=20
arrows. Although police stood in between them and forced them to=20
turnback, they did not take both parties into custody. If it were=20
done the sad things that followed could have been avoided.=20


Wednesday, February 19. 8.00 AM

A force of around 800 police men begin operation to evacuate the=20
Thakarapadi forest occupied by the strikers. K. Unni, Dy.S.P of=20
Kalpatta, K. V. Satheesan, Dy.S.P of Mananthavadi, Sasidharan, Circle=20
Inspector, KAP, led the force into the forest. Shankar Reddy, D.I.G=20
of Police, Nadesan ,Superintendent of Police Wayand, Sureshraj=20
Purohit, K.A.P commandant, K. Gopalan, district collector of Wayanad,=20
camped at the Muthanga forest range office and monitored the action.

9.00 AM

Police and the adivasis come face to face inside the forest. Police=20
ask the strikers to give up their arms and surrender. The arms the=20
strikers had were nothing more than bows and arrows and agriculture=20
utensils like sickles and axes. Adivasis declare they will not give=20
up the land even if they have to die for that. Police fire tear gas=20
shells into the strikers. And there is a direct confrontation between=20
police and the strikers. Police capture 10 adivasis and the others=20
retreat into the forest.=20

Adivasis turn back at Kakkappadam forest, one kilometre into the=20
forest. Police were standing in a low valley and the strikers were=20
standing on the two small hills on either side. Suddenly the strikers=20
set fire to the forest surrounding the policemen. Police turned back=20
and started to move forward from another side. A police man was=20
hacked by the strikers. Two more police men were hacked.Gun shots=20
were heard. Police followed the strikers two kilometers into the=20
forest. Police capture about 50 strikers. Most of them women and=20
children. The captured strikers were brutally beaten up.

10.30 AM

Karimunda forest. The police force, foresters and the day labourers=20
of the forest department reunite and plan strategies to capture the=20
escaped adivasis. "200 adivasis have escaped. Dont let anyone get=20
away" DY.S.P Unni orders his men. After taking a light refreshment=20
with some water and banana the search re-starts.

11.10 AM
Perumkuzhi forest. A 10 member police search team led by sub=20
inspectors K. Chathu and Unnikrishan are attacked a group of strikers=20
numbering 100. Unnikrishnan fires into the strikers with his service=20
revolver. Both the parties run away for safety. Both the sub=20
inspectors and the women constables Premavalli, Shantha and Baby are=20
injured. Dy.S.P Unni asks all the force to come together.=20

11.40 AM

The Whole force come together and goes into the Ponkuzhi forest.=20
After walking one and half kilometers, the force come near a large=20
temporary shelter. About 200 strikers are standing around it. Police=20
constable Azeez is hacked by the strikers. His leg was almost torn=20
and blood was flowing. He was removed from the place using a=20
stretcher. The police force was angered and they were nearing the=20
shelter with rifles pointed at the strikers. The police asks the=20
strikers to surrender and leave the forests. The strikers reply that=20
they wont give up the land. Police warns that if they do not=20
surrender they will be shot dead.=20

Gothra Mahasabha third commandant Ashokan comes forward and=20
challenges the police to open fire. "Kill us all. These nursing=20
children, these women, kill us all ... shoot...." tearing open his=20
shirt front Ashokan shouts at the police.

Police opened fire nine rounds into the air. The strikers do not=20
retreat.

Ashokan tells the police that if they shoot into the people two of=20
their men will be killed. The police were surprised. They did not=20
know that their men were captured.=20

Dy.S.P. Unni asked "Where are the hostages?" The strikers lifted the=20
bleeding leg of the constable Vinod who later died.

12.20 A.M

K.A.P circle inspector Sasidharan asks Ashokan to come forward and=20
negotiate. Ashokan tells that the strikers wont negotiate with the=20
police. He asks the police to withdraw from the forest.

Dy.S.P Unni who was leading the operation approached the press and=20
asked to mediate. Mediation by the press was acceptable to Ashokan=20
also. But police must withdraw, he demanded. As a compromise, police=20
force retreated 50 meters. Ashokan reveals that five Adivasis also=20
were injured in the police firing, they also need medical attention.=20
He demands that a doctor be brought into the camp. It was not=20
acceptable to the police. The police demands that the strikers must=20
release the police and the injured adivasis for treatment. Ashokan's=20
proposal that the injured shall be released, if the police withdraw=20
from the forest and if the collector give the assurance that the=20
adivasis will not be attacked, was not acceptable to the police.=20


Circle Inspector Sasidharan comes forward warns again "Surrender, or=20
we will shoot. You all would die, including women and children.What's=20
the point of killing the police men? Surrender, we can discuss the=20
land issue later."

"Who gave you the authority to shoot? We know that even at the=20
cabinet meeting held at 8.30 AM this morning it was not ordered shoot=20
at us" Ashokan shot back. (Ashokan did not reveal the source of this=20
information when reporters queried how he came to know of this.)=20
Ashokan told the police that the captured police men and the injured=20
adivasis are in critical condition and the police would be=20
responsible for their death.

C.I Sasidharan asks to let him see the injured men and then he'll=20
decide. Ashokan says he can not allow it but shall let in a reporter.=20
Thus I was given the responsibilty to visit the hostages.

I went into the camp with Ashokan. Vinod, the police constable and=20
the injured forester were soaked in blood. They are lying in dried=20
grass. There was pungent smell of kerosene. A fire was burning=20
nearby. A volunteer was standing nearby holding a burning torch,=20
ready to set fire. There were five adivasis also injured in the=20
police firing. Geethanathan was inside the camp, overseeing=20
everything. My efforts to talk to the hostages were interrupted by=20
the volunteers. They asked me to leave the place. When I came back=20
empty handed, the police men were crest fallen.

C.I Sasisdharan again asked for help from the press. Reporters again=20
approached Ashokan and pleaded with him for negotiation. He went back=20
to the camp and came back with a note, written by Gethananthan. The=20
demands were
1. The police should bring back to the camp all the Adivasis taken=20
into custody.
2. The injured Adivasis should be taken to hospital
3. Whole police force should be withdrawn from the forest
4. The forest department officials who tried to kill the Adivasis by=20
setting fire to the forest should be removed from service.=20
5. Order a C.B.I enquiry into the fire
6.Pay compensation to the Adivasis for destroying their huts and food
7.Allot land to the Adivasis as per the agreements

The police were helpless as most of the demands were beyond their=20
power. The negotiations were at a standstill.

1.00 PM
Ashokan approaches the press. The police man is dieing. A doctor=20
should be brought to the camp. The police stick to their stand that=20
doctor will not be brought to the forest. "Release them to us, we=20
will do what is necessary." Police retorts.

2.30 PM
Sasidharan again comes forward. " Are you going to surrender? What is=20
your final decision?"
"No more negotiations, We will not surrender" The strikers are=20
adamant. Women, children, men with sickles, bows and arrows, all come=20
forward shouting slogans.The policemen contacted the officers camping=20
at Muthanga and started to withdraw.

With the relief that the policemen were withdrawing from the place=20
strikers started to cook. They had not eaten anything during the=20
whole day.=20

5.10 PM

Police vans started arriving at Ponkuzhi on the Calicut - Bangalore=20
national high way and the police started to march into the forest.

5.20 PM

Police surrounded the camp and started to fire at the unsupecting=20
Adivasis without warning. They did not even have time resist. It was=20
Jogi, who held a lit torch to set fire to the camp if necessary, was=20
the first one to fall. The volunteer who was guarding the constable=20
Vinod hacked him. He was overpowered by the police. The adivasis who=20
were at the camp ran away in all directions. Those who were captured=20
were brutally beaten up.

Kairali T V cameraman Shaji, and me were witnessing the assault.=20
Shaji was shooting the whole incident. The police attacked him and=20
destroyed his camera. I was also taking pictures with my camera. The=20
policemen came to me with murderous intent "We will kill and bury you=20
here like these bastards."They shouted to me. It was a moment I came=20
face to face with death. I do not have words to describe how I=20
escaped from there.

At least 15 people had fallen on the ground with bullet wounds.=20
Police chased and fired at the escaping Adivasis, women and children=20
among them. We do not know how many have died. There was an=20
announcement from the police and the Chief Minister's office that=20
five adivasis had died. But the figure was later corrected to one=20
adivasi and one policeman. 1:1

There are some questions still have to be answered.

1. Who were the people responsible for arranging a crowd waiting with=20
the foresters, to capture the escaping adivasis?

2.Why didn't police give treatment to the constable Vinod, even after=20
the strikers asked to provide him with medical assistance? Vinod was=20
bleeding for five hours (12.20 to 5.20). Who wanted a martyr from the=20
police force? Why?

3. The police claim is that Jogi died from a plastic bullet. But can=20
it be possible that the bullet that went through the head a plastic=20
bullet? The place where the bullet went in had a small whole and the=20
place through which it came out had a bigger whole and brain came out=20
throug the whole. This gives ample evidence of the kind of the gun=20
used for firing and the bullet.

4. How many people really died in the shooting? If more people died,=20
what did they do with the bodies?

5. The gun that was used for firing has a range of 200 meters. Police=20
fired into a crowd that included women and children who were standing=20
not more than 50 meters away. It is hard to gulp the death toll given=20
by the police and the government.

6. The police must reveal that how many catridges were brought, how=20
many were used, how many were brought back, and what did they do with=20
the rest.

7. Why did the police cordoned off the forest where the firing took=20
place and the press were not allowed entry for 16 hours?

8. Why did an earth mover went into the forest at night?

9. The police must anwer the question raised by the opposition leader=20
V.S. Achuthananthan that police bought barrels of petrol and took it=20
to the forest. What did they do with it?

10. Why the government do not order a judicial enquiry as demanded by=20
the opposition?

PS: The police reprisal is still going on. Many adivasis who had gone=20
for the strike have not returned home. Some have fled to the forest,=20
injured also among them. Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha have told the press=20
that some of the injured have died in the forest and the others are=20
staying there without food and medical aid. The government is doing=20
nothing to relocate the missing adivasis. Men are not staying at=20
home. Police raide adivasi colonies on a daily basis. The unthinkable=20
is happening here in kerala.

( The article appeared in Madhyamam daily on 28 February 2003, V.=20
Muhammad Sharif is a reporter with Madhyamam daily)

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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" =
size=3D3>Eye witness=20
account of the muthanga police firing by a journalist who <BR>was =
present at the=20
scene <BR></FONT><A =
href=3D"http://www.countercurrents.org/hr-sharif.htm"><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman"=20
size=3D3>http://www.countercurrents.org/hr-sharif.htm</FONT></A><BR><BR><=
FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3>Muthanga Police Firing: The =
Unthinkable is=20
Happening Here In Kerala<BR><BR><BR>By V. Muhammad Sharif<BR><BR>It all =
began on=20
the 18th of February when the Adivasi Gothrasabha <BR>volunteers =
captured and=20
made hostage 10 police men, three foresters <BR>and 43 others who came =
into the=20
Thakarapadi forest. There are two <BR>versions why they came into the =
forest.=20
The official version is that <BR>these people came to the forest to =
control the=20
fire allegedly lit by <BR>the striking adivasis. The adivasis argue that =
the=20
force came to the <BR>forest to kill them by lighting a fire around them =
and=20
that's why <BR>they took them hostage. The strikers argue that the =
officials and=20
<BR>their collaboraters had brought with them elephant dung in order to =
<BR>lit=20
it and throw it into the forest. They even showed to the <BR>reporters, =
the=20
elephant dung captured from the jeep in which the gang <BR>arrived =
.<BR><BR>On=20
the next day, with the mediation of the district collector, the =
<BR>hostages=20
were released. The account given by the hostages were <BR>contradictory. =
Some=20
said that they were sent to put out the fire, <BR>some others said that =
they=20
were asked to set fire to the forest. <BR>There was an effort to hide =
Jayan, the=20
12 year old boy, who told the <BR>reporters that he was asked to light =
the=20
elephant dung with kerosene <BR>and throw it into the forest. <BR><BR>At =
the=20
same time, there was a demonstration going on outside the <BR>forest for =
the=20
blood of the Adivasi Gothrasabha leaders, <BR>Geethananthan and C. K. =
Janu. The=20
police and the foresters who easily <BR>outnumbered the 100 odd =
demonstrators=20
could not control them. The <BR>demonstrators broke the police cordon =
and=20
entered the forest held by <BR>the strikers. The strikers also came from =
the=20
otherside with bows and <BR>arrows. Although police stood in between =
them and=20
forced them to <BR>turnback, they did not take both parties into =
custody. If it=20
were <BR>done the sad things that followed could have been avoided.=20
<BR><BR><BR>Wednesday, February 19. 8.00 AM<BR><BR>A force of around 800 =
police=20
men begin operation to evacuate the <BR>Thakarapadi forest occupied by =
the=20
strikers. K. Unni, Dy.S.P of <BR>Kalpatta, K. V. Satheesan, Dy.S.P of=20
Mananthavadi, Sasidharan, Circle <BR>Inspector, KAP, led the force into =
the=20
forest. Shankar Reddy, D.I.G <BR>of Police, Nadesan ,Superintendent of =
Police=20
Wayand, Sureshraj <BR>Purohit, K.A.P commandant, K. Gopalan, district =
collector=20
of Wayanad, <BR>camped at the Muthanga forest range office and monitored =
the=20
action.<BR><BR>9.00 AM<BR><BR>Police and the adivasis come face to face =
inside=20
the forest. Police <BR>ask the strikers to give up their arms and =
surrender. The=20
arms the <BR>strikers had were nothing more than bows and arrows and =
agriculture=20
<BR>utensils like sickles and axes. Adivasis declare they will not give =
<BR>up=20
the land even if they have to die for that. Police fire tear gas =
<BR>shells into=20
the strikers. And there is a direct confrontation between <BR>police and =
the=20
strikers. Police capture 10 adivasis and the others <BR>retreat into the =
forest.=20
<BR><BR>Adivasis turn back at Kakkappadam forest, one kilometre into the =

<BR>forest. Police were standing in a low valley and the strikers were=20
<BR>standing on the two small hills on either side. Suddenly the =
strikers=20
<BR>set fire to the forest surrounding the policemen. Police turned back =
<BR>and=20
started to move forward from another side. A police man was <BR>hacked =
by the=20
strikers. Two more police men were hacked.Gun shots <BR>were heard. =
Police=20
followed the strikers two kilometers into the <BR>forest. Police capture =
about=20
50 strikers. Most of them women and <BR>children. The captured strikers =
were=20
brutally beaten up.<BR><BR>10.30 AM<BR><BR>Karimunda forest. The police =
force,=20
foresters and the day labourers <BR>of the forest department reunite and =
plan=20
strategies to capture the <BR>escaped adivasis. "200 adivasis have =
escaped. Dont=20
let anyone get <BR>away" DY.S.P Unni orders his men. After taking a =
light=20
refreshment <BR>with some water and banana the search =
re-starts.<BR><BR>11.10=20
AM<BR>Perumkuzhi forest. A 10 member police search team led by sub=20
<BR>inspectors K. Chathu and Unnikrishan are attacked a group of =
strikers=20
<BR>numbering 100. Unnikrishnan fires into the strikers with his service =

<BR>revolver. Both the parties run away for safety. Both the sub =
<BR>inspectors=20
and the women constables Premavalli, Shantha and Baby are <BR>injured. =
Dy.S.P=20
Unni asks all the force to come together. <BR><BR>11.40 AM<BR><BR>The =
Whole=20
force come together and goes into the Ponkuzhi forest. <BR>After walking =
one and=20
half kilometers, the force come near a large <BR>temporary shelter. =
About 200=20
strikers are standing around it. Police <BR>constable Azeez is hacked by =
the=20
strikers. His leg was almost torn <BR>and blood was flowing. He was =
removed from=20
the place using a <BR>stretcher. The police force was angered and they =
were=20
nearing the <BR>shelter with rifles pointed at the strikers. The police =
asks the=20
<BR>strikers to surrender and leave the forests. The strikers reply that =

<BR>they wont give up the land. Police warns that if they do not =
<BR>surrender=20
they will be shot dead. <BR><BR>Gothra Mahasabha third commandant =
Ashokan comes=20
forward and <BR>challenges the police to open fire. "Kill us all. These =
nursing=20
<BR>children, these women, kill us all ... shoot...." tearing open his =
<BR>shirt=20
front Ashokan shouts at the police.<BR><BR>Police opened fire nine =
rounds into=20
the air. The strikers do not <BR>retreat.<BR><BR>Ashokan tells the =
police that=20
if they shoot into the people two of <BR>their men will be killed. The =
police=20
were surprised. They did not <BR>know that their men were captured.=20
<BR><BR>Dy.S.P. Unni asked "Where are the hostages?" The strikers lifted =
the=20
<BR>bleeding leg of the constable Vinod who later died.<BR><BR>12.20=20
A.M<BR><BR>K.A.P circle inspector Sasidharan asks Ashokan to come =
forward and=20
<BR>negotiate. Ashokan tells that the strikers wont negotiate with the=20
<BR>police. He asks the police to withdraw from the =
forest.<BR><BR>Dy.S.P Unni=20
who was leading the operation approached the press and <BR>asked to =
mediate.=20
Mediation by the press was acceptable to Ashokan <BR>also. But police =
must=20
withdraw, he demanded. As a compromise, police <BR>force retreated 50 =
meters.=20
Ashokan reveals that five Adivasis also <BR>were injured in the police =
firing,=20
they also need medical attention. <BR>He demands that a doctor be =
brought into=20
the camp. It was not <BR>acceptable to the police. The police demands =
that the=20
strikers must <BR>release the police and the injured adivasis for =
treatment.=20
Ashokan's <BR>proposal that the injured shall be released, if the police =

withdraw <BR>from the forest and if the collector give the assurance =
that the=20
<BR>adivasis will not be attacked, was not acceptable to the police.=20
<BR><BR><BR>Circle Inspector Sasidharan comes forward warns again =
"Surrender, or=20
<BR>we will shoot. You all would die, including women and =
children.What's=20
<BR>the point of killing the police men? Surrender, we can discuss the =
<BR>land=20
issue later."<BR><BR>"Who gave you the authority to shoot? We know that =
even at=20
the <BR>cabinet meeting held at 8.30 AM this morning it was not ordered =
shoot=20
<BR>at us" Ashokan shot back. (Ashokan did not reveal the source of this =

<BR>information when reporters queried how he came to know of this.) =
<BR>Ashokan=20
told the police that the captured police men and the injured =
<BR>adivasis are in=20
critical condition and the police would be <BR>responsible for their=20
death.<BR><BR>C.I Sasidharan asks to let him see the injured men and =
then he'll=20
<BR>decide. Ashokan says he can not allow it but shall let in a =
reporter.=20
<BR>Thus I was given the responsibilty to visit the hostages.<BR><BR>I =
went into=20
the camp with Ashokan. Vinod, the police constable and <BR>the injured =
forester=20
were soaked in blood. They are lying in dried <BR>grass. There was =
pungent smell=20
of kerosene. A fire was burning <BR>nearby. A volunteer was standing =
nearby=20
holding a burning torch, <BR>ready to set fire. There were five adivasis =
also=20
injured in the <BR>police firing. Geethanathan was inside the camp, =
overseeing=20
<BR>everything. My efforts to talk to the hostages were interrupted by =
<BR>the=20
volunteers. They asked me to leave the place. When I came back <BR>empty =
handed,=20
the police men were crest fallen.<BR><BR>C.I Sasisdharan again asked for =
help=20
from the press. Reporters again <BR>approached Ashokan and pleaded with =
him for=20
negotiation. He went back <BR>to the camp and came back with a note, =
written by=20
Gethananthan. The <BR>demands were<BR>1. The police should bring back to =
the=20
camp all the Adivasis taken <BR>into custody.<BR>2. The injured Adivasis =
should=20
be taken to hospital<BR>3. Whole police force should be withdrawn from =
the=20
forest<BR>4. The forest department officials who tried to kill the =
Adivasis by=20
<BR>setting fire to the forest should be removed from service. <BR>5. =
Order a=20
C.B.I enquiry into the fire<BR>6.Pay compensation to the Adivasis for =
destroying=20
their huts and food<BR>7.Allot land to the Adivasis as per the=20
agreements<BR><BR>The police were helpless as most of the demands were =
beyond=20
their <BR>power. The negotiations were at a standstill.<BR><BR>1.00=20
PM<BR>Ashokan approaches the press. The police man is dieing. A doctor=20
<BR>should be brought to the camp. The police stick to their stand that=20
<BR>doctor will not be brought to the forest. "Release them to us, we =
<BR>will=20
do what is necessary." Police retorts.<BR><BR>2.30 PM<BR>Sasidharan =
again comes=20
forward. " Are you going to surrender? What is <BR>your final =
decision?"<BR>"No=20
more negotiations, We will not surrender" The strikers are <BR>adamant. =
Women,=20
children, men with sickles, bows and arrows, all come <BR>forward =
shouting=20
slogans.The policemen contacted the officers camping <BR>at Muthanga and =
started=20
to withdraw.<BR><BR>With the relief that the policemen were withdrawing =
from the=20
place <BR>strikers started to cook. They had not eaten anything during =
the=20
<BR>whole day. <BR><BR>5.10 PM<BR><BR>Police vans started arriving at =
Ponkuzhi=20
on the Calicut - Bangalore <BR>national high way and the police started =
to march=20
into the forest.<BR><BR>5.20 PM<BR><BR>Police surrounded the camp and =
started to=20
fire at the unsupecting <BR>Adivasis without warning. They did not even =
have=20
time resist. It was <BR>Jogi, who held a lit torch to set fire to the =
camp if=20
necessary, was <BR>the first one to fall. The volunteer who was guarding =
the=20
constable <BR>Vinod hacked him. He was overpowered by the police. The =
adivasis=20
who <BR>were at the camp ran away in all directions. Those who were =
captured=20
<BR>were brutally beaten up.<BR><BR>Kairali T V cameraman Shaji, and me =
were=20
witnessing the assault. <BR>Shaji was shooting the whole incident. The =
police=20
attacked him and <BR>destroyed his camera. I was also taking pictures =
with my=20
camera. The <BR>policemen came to me with murderous intent "We will kill =
and=20
bury you <BR>here like these bastards."They shouted to me. It was a =
moment I=20
came <BR>face to face with death. I do not have words to describe how I=20
<BR>escaped from there.<BR><BR>At least 15 people had fallen on the =
ground with=20
bullet wounds. <BR>Police chased and fired at the escaping Adivasis, =
women and=20
children <BR>among them. We do not know how many have died. There was an =

<BR>announcement from the police and the Chief Minister's office that =
<BR>five=20
adivasis had died. But the figure was later corrected to one <BR>adivasi =
and one=20
policeman. 1:1<BR><BR>There are some questions still have to be=20
answered.<BR><BR>1. Who were the people responsible for arranging a =
crowd=20
waiting with <BR>the foresters, to capture the escaping =
adivasis?<BR><BR>2.Why=20
didn't police give treatment to the constable Vinod, even after <BR>the =
strikers=20
asked to provide him with medical assistance? Vinod was <BR>bleeding for =
five=20
hours (12.20 to 5.20). Who wanted a martyr from the <BR>police force?=20
Why?<BR><BR>3. The police claim is that Jogi died from a plastic bullet. =
But can=20
<BR>it be possible that the bullet that went through the head a plastic=20
<BR>bullet? The place where the bullet went in had a small whole and the =

<BR>place through which it came out had a bigger whole and brain came =
out=20
<BR>throug the whole. This gives ample evidence of the kind of the gun =
<BR>used=20
for firing and the bullet.<BR><BR>4. How many people really died in the=20
shooting? If more people died, <BR>what did they do with the =
bodies?<BR><BR>5.=20
The gun that was used for firing has a range of 200 meters. Police =
<BR>fired=20
into a crowd that included women and children who were standing <BR>not =
more=20
than 50 meters away. It is hard to gulp the death toll given <BR>by the =
police=20
and the government.<BR><BR>6. The police must reveal that how many =
catridges=20
were brought, how <BR>many were used, how many were brought back, and =
what did=20
they do with <BR>the rest.<BR><BR>7. Why did the police cordoned off the =
forest=20
where the firing took <BR>place and the press were not allowed entry for =
16=20
hours?<BR><BR>8. Why did an earth mover went into the forest at =
night?<BR><BR>9.=20
The police must anwer the question raised by the opposition leader =
<BR>V.S.=20
Achuthananthan that police bought barrels of petrol and took it <BR>to =
the=20
forest. What did they do with it?<BR><BR>10. Why the government do not =
order a=20
judicial enquiry as demanded by <BR>the opposition?<BR><BR>PS: The =
police=20
reprisal is still going on. Many adivasis who had gone <BR>for the =
strike have=20
not returned home. Some have fled to the forest, <BR>injured also among =
them.=20
Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha have told the press <BR>that some of the =
injured have=20
died in the forest and the others are <BR>staying there without food and =
medical=20
aid. The government is doing <BR>nothing to relocate the missing =
adivasis. Men=20
are not staying at <BR>home. Police raide adivasi colonies on a daily =
basis. The=20
unthinkable <BR>is happening here in kerala.<BR><BR>( The article =
appeared in=20
Madhyamam daily on 28 February 2003, V. <BR>Muhammad Sharif is a =
reporter with=20
Madhyamam daily)</FONT><BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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