Ernakulam Dalit village eviction: Kerala govt to seek more time from court

The Kerala government has assured Dalit families facing eviction from disputed land that it will seek more time from the court to resolve the issue.

The Kerala government on Friday told the Dalit residents of a disputed land at Pariyathukavu near Kizhakkambalam in Ernakulam district that it will seek more time from the court with regard to the proceedings to evict the families living there.

The assurance was given to the Dalit families by State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala when they visited him in Thiruvananthapuram in connection with the matter, according to a statement issued by his office.

Chennithala told them that everything necessary will be done by the government to help them and that the Advocate General has been instructed to seek more time from the court after apprising it of the situation, the statement said.

The minister made it clear that any further action will be taken only as per the directions of the court and accused the LDF of trying to exploit the situation for political gains.

The assurance by Chennithala comes a day before the eviction of the residents is to be carried out on orders of a Munsiff Court in Ernakulam.

Meanwhile, State Minister of Higher Education Roji M John spoke with the residents of the Dalit colony and then told the reporters in Kochi that they have been assured that the government is with them to ensure protection of their rights.

''We have assured them that the government will try to present the case in the Kerala High Court on Monday through the AG. The government will tell the court about the situation. This is the first time that a government is attempting to intervene in the matter in the court,'' he said.

John further said that the government will make the necessary interventions in court to ensure justice for the Dalit families.

''If we do not get a favourable verdict from the court for any reason, then the government is duty bound to rehabilitate them and that assurance has also been given by the government. These families will not be left to fend for themselves on the streets,'' he asserted.

Earlier in the day, the CPI(M) claimed that the disputed land at Pariyathukavu near Kizhakkambalam here, where several Dalit families were living for decades, was government land and the party will block any attempts to remove them from the area.

CPI(M) leaders, former state Higher Education Minister R Bindu and ex-MLA P V Sreenijin, visited the Dalit colony and told reporters that the disputed area of around 2.5 acres was part of 19 acres of government land.

They also claimed that the government was unaware of the litigation over ownership of the 2.5 acre land between two private individuals.

They claimed that after the Supreme Court verdict of 2022-23 in favour of one of the private individuals, a Munsiff Court directed the Tahsildar to evict the Dalit families and that is when the government came to know about the issue.

Sreenijin also alleged the head of the advocate commission, which is trying to get the Dalit families evicted, was acting in a ''biased manner''.

Bindu, meanwhile, said that as the Dalit families did not have the money to go all the way up to the apex court, they could not contest the order.

They were both of the view that the present UDF government should intervene and ensure the Dalit families can continue living in the area as they have been provided water and electricity connections and were residing at the site for decades.

Bindu claimed that, in the past, 14 attempts to evict the Dalit families were unsuccessful as the LDF was in power and the police did not resort to violence.

''However, as soon as the UDF came to power, there was a change in police behaviour as it used violence against women and tried to evict families by force. It is condemnable,'' she said.

She also claimed that the LDF government had held several discussions to resolve the matter.

Sreenijin claimed that the Left government moved the Kerala High Court for a survey of the 19 acre piece of land and it had directed the District Collector to carry out the exercise.

''Notices were issued to the private individual claiming ownership of the dispute land to produce the records in support of his claims, but there was no response from his side,'' he said.

He recommended giving the private individual another piece of land and letting the Dalit families continue living where they are now.

On Thursday, a Munsiff court directed the police to complete the eviction process by May 23.

The order of the Perumbavoor Munsiff Court came following a report submitted before it by the advocate commission, which stated that efforts to evict the families on Wednesday had failed due to strong opposition from local residents.

The eviction drive had turned violent as residents resisted the commission's attempt to enter the area, forcing the police to use water cannons and arrest several individuals to disperse the protestors.

The police later also registered a case against 50 identifiable persons who allegedly obstructed public servants from discharging their duties.

Chennithala had earlier instructed that a comprehensive investigation be conducted into the police action related to the eviction drive.

The affected Dalit families have claimed that the land they have been residing on is government land and not privately owned.