Well known poet Kureeppuzha Sreekumar man was handled by RSS goons in Kerala. He was chief guest at the annual day celebration of a library. He spoke against RSS and cast and communal violence unleashed by them.After the meeting they surrounded and abused him.organisers protected him and took him to a police station. I spoke to him. He is safe.He filed a complaint. Six RSS activists were arrested today for allegedly threatening a noted Malayalam poet in Kollam district with the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) ordering a thorough probe into the incident. The incident took place at Kotttukkal when Kureepuzha Sreekumar was returning after addressing a function last night, police said.
He was stopped by a group of RSS activists as he was getting into his car and allegedly threatened, they said. Sreekumar, while addressing the function, had attacked Hindutva forces over their stand on the controversy over the construction of a “caste wall” at Vadayampady near Kochi.
Dalits in Vadayampady, near Kochi, have been protesting against attempts to deny their access to a plot attached to a temple, so far used as a public space. In 2017, the agitators had also pulled down a wall that was erected by the temple management which claims ownership of the land. “The event was held on an open ground. I told the audience about Vadayampady and that they should not let the ground become inaccessible to people based on their religion and caste,” Sreekumar said. A case has been registered against about 15 RSS activists in connection with the incident which happened late on Monday night on the basis of the poet’s complaint and six were arrested. The arrested men have been identified as Deepu, Manu, Kiran, Liju, Sreejith and Shyam. The local unit of the CPI-M supported the poet, it is learned.The issue was also raised in the Kerala Assembly today.
Replying to the submission on the matter by Mulakara Ratnakaran of the CPI, the chief minister said that a group of 15 RSS/BJP workers led by a panchayat member Dipu were behind the incident.
Cases have been registered against 15 people under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and six have been arrested so far, he said.There has been an increase in attacks on the freedom of expression in the country since the past few years, Vijayan said, adding that M M Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Gauri Lankesh had lost their lives due to such intolerance.
In Kerala also renowned writer M T Vasudevan Nair and film maker Kamal were among those who had been threatened. Such incidents would be dealt with sternly and will not be allowed to be repeated, he said.The government will provide necessary protection to ensure that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, the chief minister said.
Kerala stands out as an island of hope, when attacks on freedom of expression are taking place elsewhere in the country, he added.