Victims of savage justice

Images are sometimes more haunting and indelible than words. Although achievements are more in number when we talk about modern Kerala, the image of Madhu, a tribal youth from Attappadi, standing helplessly, tied up with ropes, also comes to mind. That image is also part of modern Kerala, which boasts of its achievements in many fields. Madhu's face in Attappadi reminds us again and again that UP and Bihar are not far away. When Victor Hugo's character Jean Valjean stole a piece of bread when he was hungry, what Madhu stole was some rice. Hunger is the same in Paris and Attappadi.

The tribals of Kerala are poor, weaker in literacy, ignorant of their rights, and without good housing, good food and good clothing. The crores spent by our ruling class for their welfare are incalculable. Where has all this gone? That money has flowed into the pockets of politicians, middlemen and officials. Those who have become millionaires and billionaires just because of a place called Attappadi cannot be found in the news! No other community has suffered so much from the oppression of forest officials. The Adivasis are the descendants of their great-grandfathers who lived in the forest centuries before the forest officials entered the forest in uniform. Despite being so far removed from the modern developed society, it is only one of the elite entertainments of the civilized society to go there and ruin their peace.

The latest victim of this attitude is a 20-year-old man named Siju, who hails from Agali Chittoor Adivasi Unnathi in Attappadi. The man, who tripped on a stone, was brutally beaten on the grounds that he had jumped in front of a vehicle. The Adivasi youth was tied to a post and brutally beaten. Had the people who beat him not taken a picture of it and posted it on social media, our leaders and officials would not have known about this. The imperious attackers are people who think that they can tie up and beat an Adivasi and that even if they record it and inform the locals, nothing will happen. It has been three days since the incident. The police did not make a move until this picture came out. The accused were arrested when the controversy arose.

The police knew the attackers beforehand as the driver and cleaner of the vehicle had filed a complaint by name, accusing Siju of breaking the vehicle's window. The police did not investigate the matter. The man was initially admitted to the hospital but was only given primary treatment and sent home. This is also a serious lapse. Later, after his physical difficulties increased, the man was admitted to the taluk hospital. This incident proves that law, justice and treatment are not for the poor. Madhu was killed in a mob attack in Attappadi but Shiju was not killed - that's the only difference. The lack of political action focused on humanity and humanist ethics is what causes such brutal justice to be repeated in society. Who can we ask if this condition will ever change?