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Kerala

Widespread demand for probe

Staff Reporter

Political parties, organisations condemn violence

United in indignation: Teachers and other service personnel taking out a demonstration under the banner of the Kerala Vidyabhyasa Samiti in Malappuram on Saturday in protest against the violence unleashed by Muslim Youth League activists that led to the death of James Augustine, headmaster of ALP School, Valillapuzha.

MALAPPURAM: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), among several other organisations, has demanded a comprehensive investigation into the death of James Augustine, headmaster of ALP School, Valillapuzha, following a clash with Muslim Youth League workers at Kizhisseri on Saturday.

P.K. Kunhalikutty, State general secretary of IUML, said that the death was unfortunate and the party would not hesitate to take action if any member was found responsible for the death.

‘False propoganda’

He said the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was unleashing a false propaganda modelled on the recent Changanassery incident in which a police constable died during a skirmish. He said an impartial and thorough investigation should be conducted into the death and the circumstances that led to it.

The CPI(M) district secretariat condemned incident, saying that the IUML men had trampled the headmaster to death. It demanded that the police bring the guilty to book. The CPI(M) said Mr. Augustine’s death was the fallout of letting loose IUML cadres. History will not pardon them, it said.

Teachers’ forum

The Kerala State Teachers Union (KSTU) demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the death of Mr. Augustine. KSTU general secretary A.K. Zainuddin said that the government and the Education Department had forced the teachers to attend the cluster training in spite of a call for boycott by the KSTU State committee.

The Indian National League protested against the incidents that led to the death of the headmaster. It demanded that the guilty should be brought to book in an exemplary manner.

‘Shame on Kerala’

The Samastha Kerala Sunni Yuvajana Sangham said the incident had brought shame on Kerala. Political parties should desist from resorting to such brutal acts, it said.

Poet Manamboor Rajan Babu said that the incident was worse than suicidal. Drawing a similarity between the burning of textbooks by Muslim Students Federation workers and the attack on teachers by Muslim Youth League workers, Mr. Babu said that destruction of knowledge and its carriers was the worst a State like Kerala could expect.

‘Uncivilized cadres’

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) demanded that the Muslim League leadership bridle its cadres. PDP district secretary U. Kunhimohammed said that “uncivilized cadres” of the Muslim League were a threat to society.

The Joint Council of State Service Organisations described the incident as a shame on Kerala. It demanded that the authorities should ensure an environment where people can work without fear.

Violence

Special Correspondent writes from Kannur:

A protest march by Muslim Youth League (MYL) workers against a teachers’ cluster meeting was marred by tension.

The MYL workers staged a march to the venue of the cluster meeting at the Government Municipal Vocational Higher Secondary School here in the morning demanding that the controversial Class VII Social Science textbook be withdrawn. The police stopped the marchers near the school.

After the march was dispersed, some of the protestors and a group of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) workers who assembled near the school started shouting at each other. Stones were allegedly thrown from both sides. The police dispersed the protestors.

The MYL workers later staged a sit-in on the highway for half-an-hour demanding release of an MYL activist who was taken into custody.

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