By Ajmal Khan, India Resists
Kerala police is hunting for Maoist’s from the last one year, innocent Adivasis and Dalit boys, people working among the tribals, human rights activists, people who respond to the daily injustice and human right violations and even people who “look like Maoist”are being picked up every day. What does it mean to be a Maoist Kerala? To answer this, an analysis of the so called Maoist incidents and arrests that have happen has to be closely looked at. There are many questions that are unanswered in the fog that are spreading from the last one year in the name of Maoist. The recent Maoist story in Kerala starts after the lookout notice which was displayed in the limits of Mananthawadi Police station in Wayanad district in April 2014.
The notice carried the names and pictures of around 40 people, including few alleged Maoist guerrillas and number of social and human rights activist who are active in the mainstream political sphere in the state. The notice carried names and picture of Adv. PA Pouran, state general secretary of Peoples Union for Civil Liberties , N Subramanian, a social activist with more than three decades of public presence, Adv. Thushar Nirmal Saradhy, president of the Jankeeya Manushyvakasa Prasthanam , MN Ravunni, general convener of Porattam , CRPP member Nikhil, CHRD member KK Rajeesh, RDF President Sugathan, Secretary Ajayan, Joint Secretary Devarajan, C. Ajithan, a trade union activist in public life for more than two decades, activist Karthikeyan, Vilayodi Sivankuti, Jaison Cooper, and Adv. Manuel. All of them have public appearance and life in the Kerala society actively engaging and responding to the different socio-political injustice that were taking place.
This look out notice was contested and condemned by the larger civil society with huge shock that was inflicted to the political activist. It was also a reminder to the activist by the state that, if you engaged in activities “against the state” this can be the result, this has to also be understood in the context where people are waking up and started voicing against the injustice that is historically imposed upon them and the new forms of injustice that are being manifested in the recent times. All of those whose names were appeared were also from outside the main stream political parties and in fact their enemies or threat to them in many ways.
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