Kasargode police in Kerala filed a complaint against the Mogralputhur Panchayat Village Extension Officer (VEO) for confining a deserving LIFE Mission project beneficiary inside his office. VEO M Abdul Nasar locked up Savithri of Kotta Valappil inside the office and left the building.
LIFE Mission is a housing campaign to build houses for families without land or housing. Savithri was not given a dwelling under the project. According to the complaint, she went to the office seeking her documents back after being refused a house under the scheme.
Savithri, her husband Mithran, and their two sons lived in a soil brick house. One youngster has a mental disability, while the other is partially paralysed. Two of the couple’s daughters lived with their husbands.
Authorities (including Nasar) informed Savithri that her name was part of the LIFE Mission project. She demolished her previous brick house and moved into a makeshift hut. They took a loan and dug a borewell but could not find water. Her troubles had just begun.
Savithri was then casually informed that her name was mistakenly considered in place of another Savithri from another ward. When she was told about it, Savithri was waiting for the first instalment to build a new house. Having already demolished her old one, the family, including two with physical challenges, were trapped.
Savithri’s daughter, Nisha K, went to the Village Office to get the land documents submitted back. Nasar refused to return them to Nisha, claiming that Savithri’s official records cannot be given to another person without her consent. Suspiciously, Nasar declined to return the paperwork and said there was no copy when Nisha went with Savithri.
Seeking clarification, Savithri approached VEO Nasar and Panchayat officials several times. Sarpanch Shameera Faisal from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) heads the Mogralputhur panchayat.
When they complained about him, Nasar locked up Savithri in the room before other people who were there and left. By then, the Health & Education Standing Committee chairperson, Pramila Majal, Usha and others intervened. Nasar allegedly returned after fifteen minutes and opened the door.
The accused VEO then handed over some documents, but not the ones signed by Mithran. The family refused to take back the land documents.
The accused officer claimed he returned all the documents. Nasar accused Savithri and her family of trying to exploit the situation. He now claims that her son Vishnu’s name is on the list of homeless and landless people, not Savithri’s. He also said Savithri’s complaint that he locked her in the office is baseless.
Why did Nasar allegedly retain the vital papers signed by the land owner? Could those documents be misused to transfer the land illegally? Who is responsible for Savithri losing her old modest dwelling? It is suspected that Nasar is a cog in the land jihad mafia that operates to cleanse non-Muslims from Malabar ethnically.
Nasar complained to Kasaragod Town police against Pramila, Savithri Usha and four others, alleging they obstructed his official duties. Kasaragod police registered both complaints and are investigating. Will they bring out the truth?
Today, thousands of men from Mogralputhur are employed in the Gulf countries. Since the women stayed back, land has been in high demand. The IUML is a dangerous political outfit that allegedly turns down Hindu rights once they come to power. How do Hindus build houses in Kerala under the present circumstances?
The Hindu victims belong to the poorest of the poor and are now being allegedly oppressed. It is unlikely that Savithri will be able to fight our system and win on her own. Is this why local BJP leaders stepped in?
Manjeshwara Block Panchayat Member and BJP leader M L Ashwini took up the issue and filed a formal complaint with the National Commission for Women (NCW).
Ashwini mandated the immediate safety of Savithri and her family and the promise of housing assistance to the victim. She demanded a thorough investigation into the incident and disciplinary action against Nasar.
Ashwini added that such incidents undermine public trust in the administration and hinder welfare schemes meant to uplift the underprivileged. She asked NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma to intervene and promptly deter future misconduct by controversial officials.
Until March, around Rs 2,000 crore from the central government’s share and Rs 5,000 crore from the state government have been spent on the LIFE Mission projects in Kerala. The state government has arranged chiefly funds from borrowings and loans.
In Kerala, the contract for building multi-dwelling units under the LIFE Mission housing initiative was allegedly awarded to communist stooges after receiving kickbacks upfront. Enforcement Directorate and the CBI are investigating the case. A substantial sum of money intended to build homes for flood victims was diverted and used as an up-front commission to award the project contract.
