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Kannur, Kerala , March, 9 : Chitralekha
epitomises the face of many poor, Dalit women fighting for their
Right to Life and Livelihood in Kannur, Kerala. All this gutsy woman
wanted was to drive her auto rickshaw peacefully but ended up in
a long-drawn battle with CITU
"I am their target and they will stop harassing me only after
I am finished," says Chitralekha- a poor, Dalit woman- who
continues to suffer at the hands of Centre of Indian Trade Unions
(CITU) activists, the trade union arm of CPM.
What sparked a raging storm in Chitralekha's life was her decision
to drive an auto rickshaw in a Hindu-dominated region of Payyannur
in Kannur way back in March 2004. Since then, it has been an uphill
task for Chitralekha to make ends meet. Interestingly, her husband,
an auto rickshaw driver is also ostracised for marrying a Dalit
woman.
Chitralekha's says that CITU activists regularly corner her and
once even burnt down her auto rickshaw blaming her for 'immoral
activities done in a state of drunkardness. There were attempts
on her life, when one CITU activist tried to mow her down under
his auto rickshaw. Luckily, only her foot got hurt.
As revealed by a fact finding team led by human rights activists
and academicians like Gail Omvedt and Nivedita Menon, opinions from
both sides were heard with regard to a violent incident on January
20, 2010. Chitralekha was abused and beaten first by CITU men and
then by the police for alleged 'wanton behaviour after getting drunk,'
when she drove to hospital to get medicines for her son. Hospital
records prove the level of injuries inflicted on her that day, including
a bleeding vagina.
However, CITU denied these allegations. "She is an argumentative
lady devoid of civilised behavior. Nobody will believe her stories,"
K Ragavan, President of CITU Payyannur Area Committee told Hardnews.
In its final evaluation, the report acknowledges many more Chitralekhas
in Kannur, who are waging similar battles against the dominating
and patriarchal social order established by CPI (M) and its other
affiliate organisations.
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