Invoke SC/ST Act for unjust treatment against Chitralekha: Ramesh Chennithala

Kozhikode: The move by the LDF government cancelling the allotment of 5 cents of land to a dalit woman, Chitralekha, during the UDF regime after she was forced to flee from her native village due to serial attacks by CPM cadres, amounts to persecution of dalits, said opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala. Addressing reporters after visiting the woman at her home under construction at Edatt near Payyannur here on Sunday, Mr Chennithala also demanded that the police register a case against the officials under section 3 (F) of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Action should also be initiated against the chief secretary, revenue secretary and revenue additional chief secretary. He also directed Chitralekha to submit a complaint at Valapattanam police. Mr Chennithala also informed Chitralekha that the KPCC vice president Lally Vincent had been entrusted the task of moving a petition at the High Court against the LDF government's move. Ramesh Chennithala was accompanied by Indian Union Muslim League legislative party leader MK Muneer and DCC president Satheesan Pacheni.

It is to be recalled that in a recent move, the LDF government took back the land citing that the woman had another piece of land in her name, inviting widespread criticism. The LDF government also withdrew an order allotting Rs 5 lakh to her to construct a house. The tussle between Chitralekha and the CPM began when CPM workers burned her auto rickshaw in 2005. The auto rickshaw was bought by pledging the land provided by her grandmother to facilitate the purchase. Later she had to flee the village after a series of attacks. The reason was a difference of opinion between the leaders of auto drivers’ union affiliated to CITU.