CPI(ML) activists evicted from estate

A group of people were evicted from a piece of land at Mundakkai, near Mepadi, in Wayanad district hours after they encroached upon it on Saturday, the police said.

They are activists of a faction of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and its feeder organisation Bhoo Samrakshana Vedi, the police added.

The land is said to be under the possession of the Sentinel Rock Estate of Harrisons Malayalam Plantations Ltd.

B. Balakrishnan, Circle Inspector of Police, Kalpetta, told The Hindu that the encroachers erected five huts on the land. By noon, two of them were arrested and then the others moved out, he said.

Vijayakumar and C.K. Baputty, both of Mundakkai, are the arrested.

Sam P. Mathew, district secretary, CPI-ML, said the land was encroached upon as it was under the illegal possession of the company after its lease tenure had expired.

He said the workers of the estate were leading a wretched life in the labour lines of the estate, without basic amenities. They had a right to the land as their families had sweated there for many generations.

He said the land agitation in the district would be intensified.

The land agitation by the Adivasi Kshema Samithi and the Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) continued in 19 localities where their activists had encroached upon lands.

As many as 1,200 families have been occupying the lands.

PTI adds: K.N. Ramachandran, CPI(ML) faction leader, accused the State government of showing laxity in addressing issues faced by the landless tribal people.

He told presspersons that the CPI(ML) had lost trust in the ruling CPI(M) and the Opposition Congress as these parties were not sincere in their efforts to address the issue.