The travails of Chitralekha seem to be far from over. The Dalit autorickshaw driver, who had been protesting against ostracism from fellow drivers and attack by local CPI(M) workers, had yet another shocker on Friday. Her autorickshaw, which was parked outside her house at Edat near Payyannur, was allegedly damaged by miscreants in the early hours of the day.
The incident occurred days after Chitralekha had called off her agitation in front of the Secretariat following Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s assurance that steps would be taken to see that counter cases registered against her and her husband by local CPI(M) workers were withdrawn.
According to Payyannur police, Chithralekha had filed a complaint, saying her vehicle had been damaged. They said the roof and seat of the vehicle had been damaged with blade.
When contacted, Chitralekha accused local CPI(M) workers of damaging the vehicle and added that up to Rs. 30,000 would be required for repair.
Chitralekha at present lives in a rented house at Kattampally near here where the government had granted her 5 cents. She said she had gone to her ancestral home at Edat for collecting documents in connection with a counter case filed against her. The case was to be heard in a court at Payyannur on Saturday (March 5).
She said she had been a victim of harassment at the hands of local CPI(M) and CITU workers since 2005 when she began driving an autorickshaw for a living.
The autorickshaw, owned by Chitralekha, who had been protesting against harassment by CITU workers, were damaged by miscreants
