On the 24th anniversary of the Manjolai massacre, rank and files of CPIML Liberation paid their respect to the victims of 17 Dalit tea garden workers who were killed in the police brutality in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district. On July 23, 1999, the workers from the Tea estates of Manjolai organised a protest march to Tirunelveli Collectorate to submit a memorandum demanding wage hike, maternity leave and better living conditions for the tea plantation workers.
The protest march was met with brutal police repression charging at workers with canes and pelting them with bricks and stones. The police pushed several workers towards the Thamirabarani river, where several workers, including two women and a two-year-old child drowned to their death. According to the Justice Mohan Commission report, 6 other were died due to injuries sustained in the police violence.
Central Committee Member Clifton, speaking at the memorial even said that, “we pay our tributes to the victims of Manjolai massacre and their struggle by resolving to fight against the fascist assault on the working class.” CPIML’s Tirunelveli district secretary Comrade Sundarraj presided over the memorial event along with state committee members comrades Ramesh, Ganesan, Athiyaman and Rajkumar.
