A Dalit man belonging to the Kuruva community was arrested and imprisoned in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram for staging a protest in front of his Grama Panchayat, demanding a motorable road.
46-year-old Sethu residing in Thoppil Colony, Kilimanoor area of Thiruvananthapuram, was arrested by Kilimanoor police on March 22 from Kilimanoor Grama Panchayat. He was jailed at Attingal Sub Jail and Special Sub Jail, Thiruvananthapuram, until March 25 when he was bailed out.
The arrest occurred as Sethu, accompanied by 11 other Dalits, including 57-year-old Chandran, who reportedly sustained severe spinal cord injuries and spastic quadriplegia following an alleged casteist attack in 2005, were protesting under the banner of Janakeeya Munneta Samithi, a Dalit organization based in Thoppil Colony. Their protest aimed to pressure the panchayat authorities to concrete the path from Chandran’s house to the main road, thus making it accessible for motor vehicles. Their demand sought to facilitate Chandran’s transportation to the hospital by ambulance without the need to be physically carried to the main road.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.