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: Many cadres of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) turned out near the Collectorate on Palayamkottai road here on Monday and staged a hunger strike demanding the immediate arrests of those who swindled the property of farmers at Deivaseyalpuram in the district.
Taking a dig at state government, G. Ramakrishnan, State President of the party, said formation of land grabbing cell had failed to serve any purpose in Tuticorin, where such illegal activities were grossly negligible.
While Balabarathi, Dindigul MLA, had raised the issue of land grabbing incident at Deivaseyalpuram in Assembly session, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa replied a case was filed to initiate action. But it is all in vain, the CPI (M) leader said.
While addressing at the protest venue, he said Selvam of Pudukottai had allegedly usurped 915 acres of cultivable lands from the innocent farmers at the fag end of 2008. After the illegal activity, he also registered patta for such lands wrongfully and the farmers were forced out of their lands. Such illegal activities were gaining momentum here but no concrete action had been taken so far.
Condemning such lawlessness prevailing in Tuticorin, the CPI (M) cadres had been struggling persistently for justice since the incident occurred. But unable to stomach the “noble” efforts of the party cadres to retrieve the property of farmers from the wrongdoers, some anti-social elements fomented trouble to the former district secretary K. Kanagaraj after hurling petrol bomb into his house on January 6 night.
Even after four months after lodging a complaint with the Tuticorin police, the miscreants were still at large. It was unfair that no arrest had been made till now. Similarly, K. Srinivasan, town secretary, Kovilpatti, along with sportspersons, is struggling to safeguard a five acre hockey ground formed by a public trust in Kovilpatti, has also become the prime target for anti-social elements. He was also a victim of the petrol bomb hurling incident which occurred on March 24.
The lands meant for the trust should not be sold but many private parties were usurping the property. Mr. Kanagaraj, State Executive Council Member, R. Russell, district secretary, and others took part.
