THE KEEZHVENMANI INCIDENT

 THE KEEZHVENMANI INCIDENT

It was exactly around this time, 56 years ago, Ramaiah’s hut was set on fire, where 44 innocent lives including 23 children were blazed to ashes. Wonder why? They demanded for an increase in their daily wages, just an extra half-padi of paddy!











How could the horrendous scenes of mothers hugging their children, hoping they would not actually see the scorched situation, while their skin were boiling and their bones charred to ashes, not make the attackers withdraw from throwing the survivors again into the ablaze? Did caste pride matter more than a half-padi of paddy that the labourers demanded?


So, is it a deliberate attempt out of their frustration? I can’t see it that way, since CPM of Kerala hosted a conference on Dec 23-29, which meant all the Communist leaders must have to be there, leaving no supporters in the village or the district. And the night of Christmas would be the perfect time for every commoner to be at their homes. How cannot this be a planned massacre?


The Sessions Court levied 7-10 years of imprisonment on 23 convicts including the 13 landlords. This is just for the Attempt of Murder ie Arson and illegal activities, not for the heinous act of killing 44 people. Madras High Court didn’t enlist any of the previous cases filed regarding this incident except for the appeal of A1 Gopalakrishnan Naidu. After 13 years this case had its trial, where the judges penned that, the feudal lords possessing a ton of wealth and a good reputation, may not have the cheap thoughts of arson and also their (fake) alibi is found to be trustworthy. Hence, the sentence is remitted.


The then government did bring about a law reform in reinforcing the minimum wages for daily labourers. The main reason for the massacre roots to the ownership of land was denied to the workers as the feudal system served an important fuel to the caste-pride of the landlords.


Only 11.4% Dalit workers in the whole of TN are land holders as of 1991. The total land owned by the Dalit Workers constitute about only 7.1% of the total area. As of now, not even a 20% increase could be reported. This is just about the 83% of the Dalit daily wages workers. There are more sectors like construction workers, night soil and sanitation workers etc where we should raise concerns upon.


Panchami lands not being accounted properly and not allotted to the deserving owners, even now, just reflects the inability of 76 years of independence and 50+ years of Dravidian politics, in front of the conventional casteistic heirarchy.


Anisha @ Kotravai


Source: The Hindu, Social Watch - Tamil Nadu, Peasant Movement and Dalit Rights in East Thanjavur - CPIM

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