Condemning the police for allegedly forcing tribal women to remove the black cloth worn by them ostensibly to prevent possible demonstrations during a recent visit by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to Wayanad “as an insult to all women in the country,” CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat said on Saturday that the incident would be brought to the attention of the State Human Rights Commission.
“It was undoubtedly an assault on the dignity of women on the pretext of protecting the Chief Minister,” Ms. Karat remarked speaking to The Hindu . She said the issue would also be raised before the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
She said the protests against the incident remained muted only because its victims were “poor tribal women…there would have been an uproar across the nation if the victims had been non-tribal women.”
“Part of tribal attire”
Ms. Karat, who had met the nine tribal women involved, said the incident also betrayed insensitivity of the police to tribal customs and culture.
“The police should have known that the black cloth was part of their traditional dress. These women told me they were going to receive title deeds from the Chief Minister when they were subjected to the humiliation…the claim that the police ordered removal of the black cloth worn by the women around the waist as they feared it might be used to stage black flag demonstrations against the Chief Minister does not diminish the gravity of the offence…the black cloth is part of tribal attire.” She demanded stringent action against the policemen.
Ms. Karat said that during her visit to tribal hamlets, it became clear that nearly 55 per cent of the tribal families in Wayanad had been issued Above Poverty Line (APL) ration cards though they were eligible for Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards.
As a result, many had to purchase rice at market rates. “All tribal people should be issued BPL ration cards,” she said.
The CPI(M) leader alleged that a number of families had not received title deeds though they had possession certificates.
Many benefits for tribal people were reserved for families with title deeds.
Stating that the condition of tribal people in Wayanad “continues to be pathetic,” Ms. Karat alleged that Rs.50 crore sanctioned to the district administration to purchase land for distribution among the landless tribal people remained unutilised. “Instead of distributing land to the landless tribal people, the UDF government is giving sanction to plantation companies that have violated laws of the land to build resorts on disputed land in their possession,” she said.
