The Hindu : No let-up in tension at Marad

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 28, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

No let-up in tension at Marad

By Our Special Correspondent

KOZHIKODE JUNE 27 . There was no let-up in tension in Marad today as women from Hindu families continued their protests for the third day against the presence of the Muslim family brought back to their home by the district administration.

The protesting women blocked the road and shouted slogans asking the Muslim family to leave Marad. The protesters blocked the road for some time in the evening but moved away at the intervention of the Araya Samajam leaders.

Later the demonstrators left, vowing to return tomorrow to continue their protests.

Three women and a child belonging to a single Muslim family are now staying in their home, despite the protests and amid tight police security. A strong posse of policemen are on duty to prevent untoward incidents.

The head of the family Mariambi, has said she would like to leave. A spokesman for the Marad Araya Samajam alleged it was the district administration, which was preventing the Muslim family from leaving.

The district administration has shelved its plan to bring in more displaced Muslim families to Marad because of the strong protests.

The programme for rehabilitating the displaced families would remain suspended until the outcome of the meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee scheduled to be held here on June 29 is known.

Meanwhile, the Marad Araya Samajam today strongly refuted the District Collector's claim that he started the rehabilitation programme on the basis of an assurance of co-operation given by the Samajam leaders.

"No decisions were taken to bring back the Muslim families during discussions with the Collector. They (Muslim families) had left Marad on their own. The Araya Samajam had not forced anyone to go. Hence the Samajam has nothing to do with the rehabilitation programmes. It is not our responsibility,'' the Samajam president, K. Dasan, and the secretary, T. Suresh, said.

The Marad Araya Samajam had already given a memorandum, listing its demands, to the District Collector with a copy to the Chief Minister. One demand was that all those, including women who left Marad on the day of the massacre "clearing the way for committing the crime'' and gave their support to the murders should be booked. Another was that the Marad mosque, which was "the epicentre of the activities of the criminals'' should continue to be in police custody.

They also demanded the District Collector withdraw his statement which in their view blacked out the demands made by the Samajam.

The Kerala Sthree Vedi today said the protest against the return of displaced women to their homes in Marad was very sad.

"The onus of restoring peace in any disturbed area rests on women. This is a fact the women now holding demonstrations in Marad have to realise. No one stands to gain by communal violence, especially at a time when people are dying of dengue fever, poverty and rat fever,'' the Sthree Vedi leaders, Ambujam, Jothinarayanan and Sonia George, said in a joint statement.

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Murali's demand

The KPCC president, K. Muraleedharan, has said that he expected strong action from the Government to go ahead with rehabilitation measures at Marad in Kozhikode.

He said he did not subscribe to the view that a section of the people at Marad could be kept away from their traditional homes simply because there were resistance from the other side. He also did not view that the Government should postpone the rehabilitation measures. He said any dithering in dealing with communal tension at Marad would only help in vitiating the atmosphere further and lead to wider repercussions. He said that no section of people enjoyed any privilege and power to keep other sections out. Asked about the observance of a Thrissur court to speed up the vigilance inquiry against the Tourism Minister, K.V. Thomas, the KPCC president said it was up to the Chief Minister to comment on this issue.

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