Under the leadership of Adivasi Bharatha Maha Sabha (ABM), tribals from Attappady and Agali have begun an indefinite protest. They demand that land mafia groups, which are grabbing tribal lands with the backing of the Revenue Minister, be stopped immediately. They also demand strong action against official superiors who are colluding with these land mafias.
The agitation was inaugurated by M.P. Kunjikkannan, CPI (ML) Red Star Kerala State Secretary. Widespread land grabbing using fake documents, created with the support of officials, is occurring in every village of the Attappady Tribal Taluk. Thousands of acres of land are being encroached upon in the Chindakki, Karuvara, Pothuppadi, and Varadi Malai regions – areas where the government had granted special title deeds (pattayam) to tribals. There is rampant encroachment on lands recorded in Survey Settlement Registers, lands involved in TLA (Travancore Land Assignment) cases, and unsurveyed lands.
In Attappady, the police and officials are colluding with these land encroachments, which blatantly violate tribal land laws. Those creating fake documents and grabbing land are running amok under the patronage of the Revenue Minister. Leaders speaking at the gathering declared that the agitation will continue until this is stopped.
The leaders appealed for the support of all democratic forces for this struggle to protect tribal lands. The agitation committee convener, Sukumaran Attappady, welcomed the gathering. T.R. Chandran, ABM State Convener, presided over the meeting. Malliyeswari Agali, Nanji Mulagangal, Chellamma Anakkatty, Rangan Varagam Padi, and others addressed the gathering.
