Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat on Sunday urged the people to fight for the democratic rights of Vittala Malekudiya, a postgraduation student of Mass Communication at Mangalore University, who has been arrested on charges of having links with Maoists.
Speaking at a seminar on the menace of naxalism and the Government's atrocities on human rights of adivasis and tribal people here, Mr. Karat said that draconian laws were being invoked against him in the name of controlling Maoism. “If we do not fight and defend the basic democratic rights of Vittala and his father, then we will eventually suffer … repression of our own democratic rights … of all of us.”
He vowed to fight his case till the issue was quashed and urged people to support him ignoring their party affiliation.
Clarifying that the CPI(M) opposed Maoist ideas of waging war against the State, Mr. Karat said it was the exploitation of adivasi people by the Government that led to naxalism. The real focus should be on ending the all-round attack on adivasis. He said that Maoists who exploited tribal people ran away when the police came looking for them leaving the tribal people to fend themselves.
Committee
Mr. Karat, who met the student and his father earlier in Mangalore sub-jail, expressed his happiness that the committees had been constituted in Mangalore and Bangalore to fight the case of the arrested student.
The Mangalore Committee, which was announced in his presence, includes Yashawanth Maroli of Manavathavadi Vedike, writer Sara Aboobacker, district president of Democratic Youth Federation of India Munir Katipalla, advocate Dinesh Hegde Ulepady, activists T.R. Bhat and Vasudev Uchila, student leader Jeevan Kuttar, and Konkani cultural leader Eric Ozario.
Honnamma, mother of Vittala Malekudiya, said that Rs. 22,000 was taken away when the house was searched.
She said that they had earned that money through the sale of minor forest produce. Mr. Karat asked the mother and her daughter Rajeevi not to be scared and that his party had taken up their cause.
Mr. Ulepady, who has taken the case of Vittala, said that he would bring this fact to the notice of the court.
Ms. Honnamma said they did not have a bank account to keep the money.
