Kozhikode: Farmers held a sit-in before the collectorate here on Tuesday with the corpse of farmer Jose Kaniyarakam, a native of Kakkadampoyil who committed suicide when the forest department took over his land. Organised by All Kerala Catholic Congress, Malayora Karshaka Samithy, Paschima Ghatta Samrakshana Samithy and Farmers’ Relief Forum, hundreds of farmers participated in the protest.
Forest officials surveyed his land and fixed its borders on their own in 2008, they alleged, and he took the extreme step as all his laments fell on deaf ears. The leaders also wanted to stop all surveys in the highlands immediately, a job for a member of his family, to recognise the ownership of land in their passion since 1977 with all documents and accept land tax for such farmlands and action against the officials responsible for the suicide.
Hundreds of farmers are in trouble as the revenue department refused to accept taxes and forcibly took over the land they held for decades. Paschima Ghatta Samrakshana Samithy coordinator Fr Abraham Kavilpurayidathil inaugurated the agitation.
