From: M C Raj <mcraj.reds@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Oct 1, 2010 at 5:16 AM
Subject: REDS Takes on Might of the Rich
REDS Takes on the Richest
Gurrrrappa..! The name in Kannada already indicates a certain viciousness. Dharam Pal indicates the opposite, one who walks by virtuous principles. But they are not strange bedfellows in a country like India where any combination will work if only it is for the sake of making more money and more profit. Perhaps this is true of the rest of the world too. These two are the richest people in Pavagada Taluk of Tumkur District. Our first contact with them started accidentally but now it is making not only history but also ripples and waves in Dalit history and inevitably also in the history of the District.
It started with the Dalit Panchayat Movement in the Taluk applying to the Municpality in Pavagada for a housing site in order to put up our office. The year was 2005. The Municipality, not surprisingly approved a site for us the very next year in 2006. The entire taluk of Pavagada knows our Movement well. But when Narayanappa, our local organizer in Pavagada went to take possession there was no site in sight. The site had already developed into a huge building thanks to the constructive capacity of the land shark Gurrappa. Now he came to know that the Dalit Panchayat had got a site approved and he did not want any trouble. For him REDS means trouble for his 'kingdom'. He went to the High Court against the approval of a site to us. The High Court cancelled the site granted to us saying that the site was already in a public park. Since Gurrapa had parked himself firmly in the area, the High Court perhaps thought that it was indeed a park.
That was a sort of provocation. Gurrappa had opened the pandora's box. Documents of his nefarious dealings tumbled out. We dug out all documents related to all the property owned by Gurrappa in that area. Little did he realize that we are from a stock that digs graves for all sorts of castes. The only difference this time was that we came out with a landmine of information instead of burying dead bodies. Usually we dig to bury but now we dug to resurrect. We now had enough documentary evidence that Gurrappa and Dharam Pal together had not only occupied government land but had constructed commercial buildings worth more than 100 million rupees.
Armed with the papers we went to the DC court in the District asserting that the site approved for us was indeed in the government property and was not in the personal property of Gurrappa. We also affirmed through our lawyer that Gurrappa was in illegal possession of the property that actually belonged to the government. We appealed to the court that there should be survey of the property in the entire area. The District Collector delayed the procedures as there were powerful politicians involved, including a Minister. When our leaders approached the District Collector with all the facts and he was still hesitant to take action giving lame excuses. Narayanappa threw all the documents on the table of the Collector and started walking out. This shook the Collector to the bottom.
He called back our leaders and stayed in his office till 8.30 in the evening to order the demolition of the illegal buildings in the said property. Orders flew to the Assistant Commissioner through that little box called the fax machine. A small paper it was. But Pavagada is surrounded by mountains. This little paper created yet another mountain of political pressure on the Assistant Commissioner. He wilted under its pressure. He got his transfer orders and flew away to a safe haven where he would not have REDS and DPM. But a man of good heart he was. Before leaving for his new destination he served orders for the demolition of the buildings. He did not want perhaps to be caught in derbris.
Gurrappa went once again to the High Court. He is a man of high places. He is used to only looking upward. He had scant respect for ordinary minions. When we knew he was going to the High Court we applied for a Caveat in the High Court. Because of this the court made us a party to the case officially along with the District Collector, the Assistant Collector and the Tahsildhar. Strange bedfellows indeed!
After going through all the documents that we submitted to the High Court it ordered the Collector to go ahead with demolition of the property. But the Collector delayed it for another year. We went to the Lokayukta in Karnataka with the Court Order and asked them to take necessary action. They are an independent authority to take action against corruption. We also appealed to the Task Force of the Government that is authorized to take possession of any government property that is illegally occupied.
'Who are these people that take on the mighty sharks without any fear? No one has dared to do these things till now in our District'
'Hey, don't you know this Movement. It is a Dalit Organization. They fear no one. That Swamiji whom Dalits call Appaji and that Madam called Ammaji! They are the people behind all this.'
'Narayanappa is like their son. He will give his life for this Organization. Did you not see them in the procession in January. They are the people.'
The streets of Pavagada were filled with such street corner conversations on 29 September. The entire property was being surveyed and marked red for demolition. The Task Force was in place. If the officers do not take action they will be neck deep trouble. They could not complete the survey in the whole day. They will do the rest of it on 05 October. Gurrappa was shaking all over his body. The cigarette in his hand was smoking itself away without waiting for the lips of Gurrappa. He often forgot the bit that he had in his hands. He already had a handful of troubles. People could see his traditional prestige razed to the earth and they were happy no ends. One merchant supplied free bananas to all those hundreds of onlookers who were watching the red marks with bated breath. But with him were the illegal and unjust ways that he and Dharam Pal, both belonging to the Vaisya caste in India, established. They were being razed to the earth.
People have not yet removed the finger they kept on their noses wondering how a Dalit Organization can take on the might of the richest in the Taluk. They probably will remove the fingers on 05 October. In the meantime Narayanappa has to be extremely careful for his safety as he lives in the lion's den. The Circle Inspector in the meantime has ordered police protection to Narayanappa and Rangaiah, our Land Man. Both of them have politely turned down this offer. But when the lions are let loose it will be only a question of time for them to reach Booshakthi Kendra. We are ready to be devoured any time either by the sharks or by the roaring lions.
Last week when Raj was in Germany one of the elderly women participants in a Conference in Bad Boll asked him whether he is not living in the danger of losing his life. Raj said: 'I may die in the next five minutes of a heart attack. I do not have to wait for someone to kill me. Death can come to us anytime. It is in being always ready to face death that we have lived this long and we shall continue to live amidst our people even after our death.'
--
M C Raj
REDS, REDS Road
Shanthinagar
Tumkur 572102
Karnataka, India
Phone: ++91-816-2277026
Fax: ++91-816-2272515
Mobile: ++9845144893
Email for electoral reforms: ceri.reds@gmail.com
Email for REDS: jyothi.dalitreds@gmail.com
--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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