Kerala Government Must stop Vilifying and communalizing Vizhinjam fishermen’s Struggle for Survival
The November 26 crackdown by police and anti-socials, backed by BJP-RSS on the four-month-long peaceful struggle in Vizhinjam seems to be part of a calculated move to suppress a democratic struggle against the Adani Port Project construction activities in the Vizhinjam coastlines. The construction of a breakwater and dredging activities as part of port project has already resulted in costal erosion leading to hundreds of fishworkers losing their houses. Peoples’ Strike Committee opposing the Adani Port Project has been demanding to carry out a comprehensive impact assessment study as well as to ensure full compensation and rehabilitation of the fishermen, until which the construction could not be advanced further.
On November 26th, protesters of the strike committee had peacefully stopped few lorries that had arrived at the site to unload rocks and other materials for the construction. But seemingly according to a pre-planned script, a group of people who had gathered nearby started pelting stones at the protestors to create trouble. The police, instead of intervening to stop the conflict, aggravated the situation in allowing the goons to run amok acting like Adani's private army.
Thiruvananthapuram Archdiocese Bishop and Vicar General have been charged with 9 cases. The government together with sections of big media has been vilifying the protesting fishermen communities, branding them as ‘anti-development’, and even worse, trying to paint the anti-Adani Port Project protests as a whole as communally motivated and polarizing.
The CPI (ML) demands immediate withdrawal of all false cases relating to the Nov 26 incident at Vizhinjam. The LDF government must immediately put a moratorium on the port construction until a proper survey and assessment is undertaken regarding the concerns raised by the local fish-workers and community. The government should abandon its policy of repression and working hand-in glove with the fascist Sangh Parivar as well as the Adani Group.
