Dalit woman Chitralekha, who has been waiting for justice in Kerala for 18 years, says her family is on the verge of suicide.
Author Dalit Times
Kerala: Chitralekha, a Dalit woman from Kattampalli near Payyanur in Kannur district, has been fighting for justice for almost two decades. Actually, Chitralekha used to drive autorickshaw for her livelihood. But because he is a Dalit, his means of livelihood i.e. his auto has been taken away from him. In 2005, Chitralekha’s auto was set on fire in an attack by CPM workers. Since Chitralekha’s auto, the means of livelihood, has been burnt, the question of livelihood has arisen in front of Chitralekha. She has been protesting for justice since 2005.
It is not acceptable for a Dalit woman to drive an auto:
According to the report of Manorama, a well-known media organization of South India, Chitralekha comes from Dalit community while her husband Shrishant comes from Thiya community. Sreesanth was an auto driver and Manorama was a nurse in a private hospital. Both of them fell in love with each other in Vadakara and got married.
Sreesanth’s family and society ostracized Sreesanth and Chitralekha for marrying a girl from the Dalit community. In such a situation, the question of livelihood arose before both of them. After which Chitralekha decided to become an auto driver. But other drivers associated with CITU in Kattampalli turned against him. Chitralekha started being mistreated because of her caste.
Dalit woman’s livelihood snatched away by burning her auto:
While talking to Onmanerama, Chitralekha and her husband Shrishant said that the place where they live is a CPM stronghold where in 2004, auto drivers started allegedly social boycotting Dalit women on the basis of caste.
He and his family were also attacked several times, allegedly by auto drivers belonging to the CPM’s trade union CITU. On 31 December 2005, his autorickshaw parked near his house was allegedly set on fire by CPM workers. However, the police arrested the accused. But he was released after the witnesses turned hostile. For almost two decades, Dalit women have been fighting for justice against caste-based abuse and snatching of their livelihood.
Police is not investigating:
The victim Dalit woman says that we have lost our livelihood after the auto was burnt by the CPM gang. The auto was his family’s only source of income and now his family is on the verge of suicide. She alleges that the police is not investigating the matter at all, and she will continue to protest until her family gets justice.
Chitralekha has also urged the police to take action against the culprits under sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The police have denied the allegations. Valapattanam SHO M T Jacob said they were making ‘every effort to nab the accused’. But we have not yet found any specific evidence about him.”
