Kilvenmani massacre

Last updated

Raised fist carried as part of the 2014 inauguration of the Keezhvenmani martyrs memorial Keezhvenmani martyrs memorial building opening (4).JPG
Raised fist carried as part of the 2014 inauguration of the Keezhvenmani martyrs memorial

The Kilvenmani massacre (or Keezhvenmani massacre) was an incident in Kizhavenmani village, Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu state in India on 25 December 1968 [1] in which a group of around 44 people, the families of striking Dalit village labourers, were murdered by a gang, allegedly led by their landlords. [2] The chief accused was Gopalakrishnan Naidu. [3]

Contents

It became a notable event in left wing political campaigns of the time and in Dravidianist ideology. The incident helped to initiate large-scale changes in the local rural economy, engendering a massive redistribution of land in the region. [4] [5]

Massacre

The incident occurred when some poor labourers were influenced by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to organise themselves into a campaign for higher wages following the increase in agricultural production as the result of the Green Revolution in India. [6] [7] The lands were controlled by powerful families, while the labourers were from an oppressed community. In 1968, the agricultural labourers of unified Tanjore district formed a union seeking better working conditions and higher wages. [5] To mark their union the workers hoisted red flags in their villages, irking their landlords. The landlords formed a separate union with yellow flags and started laying off workers belonging to the Communist unions.[ citation needed ]

This led to tensions and finally a boycott by all labourers. The peasants withheld part of the harvest as a negotiating tactic. [8] The Paddy Producers Association, representing the local landlords, organised external labourers to continue the harvest. Matters became fraught when a local shopkeeper who supported the protesters was kidnapped by supporters of the landlords and beaten up. Protesters attacked the kidnappers, forcing them to release their hostage. In the clash, one of the landlords' agents was killed. [9]

44 people burnt alive Vens.jpg
44 people burnt alive

According to eyewitness accounts, on 25 December 1968, at around 10 p.m., the landlords and their 200 henchmen came in lorries and surrounded the hutments, cutting off all routes of escape. [10] The attackers shot at the labourers, mortally wounding two of them. Labourers and their families could only throw stones to protect themselves or flee from the spot. Many of the women and children, and some old men, took refuge in a hut that was 8 ft x 9 ft. But the attackers surrounded it and set fire to it, burning them to death. [11] The fire was systematically stoked with hay and dry wood. [2] [12] Two children thrown out from the burning hut in the hope that they would survive were thrown back into the flames by the arsonists. Of six people who managed to come out of the burning hut, two of whom were caught, hacked to death and thrown back into the flame. Post this heinous crime, attackers went straight to the police station, demanded protection against reprisals and got it. The massacre resulted in death of 44, including 5 aged men, 16 women and 23 children. [5]

Reacting to the carnage, the then Chief Minister C. Annadurai, sent two of his Cabinet Ministers – PWD Minister M Karunanidhi and Law Minister S. Madhavan – to the site of the incident. He also conveyed his condolences and promised action.

In the subsequent trial, the landlords were convicted of involvement in the event. Ten of them were sentenced to 10 years in jail. However, an appeal court overturned the conviction. [13] Gopalakrishnan Naidu, [14] [3] leader of the Paddy Producers Association, was accused of being behind the massacre. The Madras High Court acquitted him in 1975, quashing the Nagapattinam district court judgment awarding him 10 years of imprisonment in 1970. [10] He was murdered in a revenge attack in 1980. [8] [15]

Victims

Names and (age) of the victims as per the documentary Ramiahvin Kudisai (The Hut of Ramiah) [16]

1Dhamodaran (1)12Aasaithambi (10)23Ranjithamal (16)34Pappa (35)
2Kunasekaran (1)13Jayam (10)24Aandal (20)35Rathinam (35)
3Selvi (3)14Jothi (10)25Kanakammal (25)36karuppayi (35)
4Vasugi (3)15Natarajan (10)26Mathambal (25)37Murugan (40)
5Rani (4)16Vethavalli (10)27Veerammal (25)38Srinivasan (40)
6Natarasan (5)17Karunanidhi (12)28Sethu (26)39Anjalai (45)
7Thangaiyan (5)18Sandra (12)29Chinnapillai (28)40Sundaram (45)
8Vasugi (5)19Saroja (12)30Aaachiammal (30)41Pattu (46)
9Jayam (6)20Shanmugam (13)31Kunjambal (35)42Karupayi (50)
10Natarasan (6)21Kurusamy (15)32Kuppammal (35)43Kaveri (50)
11Rajendran (7)22Poomayil (16)33Pakkiyam (35)44Suppan (70)

Aftermath

The massacre led widespread demand for changes in land ownership and to attitudes regarding caste. Gandhian reformer Krishnammal Jagannathan and her husband led a series of non-violent demonstrations, arguing for the redistribution of land owned by the local Hindu temple and Trust lands in Valivalam to members of the Dalit caste. The couple also founded an organisation to promote their aims. Krishnammal Jeganathan later said, on the eve of a commemoration of the massacre, "I could not sleep last night, and the sight of the violence feels fresh in my mind – fresh blood of a butchered child, and charred bodies of women and children, who had taken refuge in a hut". [4]

Feminist activists played a significant role in making the massacre well known. Six years after the killings the first state conference of the Democratic Women's Association was held in Kizhavenmani. [17] Mythili Sivaraman helped to publicize the atrocities through her articles and essays. A collection of her writings about the incident was released as a book named Haunted by Fire. [18]

Commemoration

The opening of the new memorial Keezhvenmani martyrs memorial building opening (5).JPG
The opening of the new memorial

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) organises an annual "Venmani Martyrs Day" to commemorate the massacre. Foundation stone for memorial was laid by Jyoti Basu in 1969 when he was Deputy Chief Minister of West Bengal. The memorial was erected by the party in the form of a black granite monolith carved with the names of the forty-four victims, including fourteen victims from one family. It is topped with the hammer and sickle of the CPI(M). A plantain bud "carved out of monolithic red granite mounted on a platform serves as a memory of the dead". [4] Other political groups have also participated in the commemorations. [8] The Dalit political party Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi have objected to Communist control of the event. Its district secretary S. Vivekanandam said, "We also want to pay tributes to the martyrs. But the CPM does not allow us to arrange for any programmes during the anniversary saying that only their party stood in support of the farmers of Keezhvenmani. They also said that they had got the place of massacre registered in their party's name. It is unacceptable that a single party claims ownership of the historical place". [8]

In 2006, the CPI(M) announced that it would begin the construction of a much larger memorial (referred to as "Mani Mandapam"). In 2014, the partially completed new memorial was inaugurated by the party. It comprises 44 granite pillars, representing each of the victims, surrounding a large building functioning as a museum and centre of commemoration. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalit</span> Marginalized castes in India and other South Asian countries

Dalit, also some of them previously known as untouchables, is the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna of the caste hierarchy and were seen as forming a fifth varna, also known by the name of Panchama. Several scholars have drawn parallels between Dalits and the Burakumin of Japan, the Baekjeong of Korea, the Hukou system of China and the peasant class of the medieval European Feudal system.

The Ranvir Sena is a militia functioning as a landlord group, mainly based in the state of Bihar, India. The group was formed by Bhumihar landlords in 1994, with the aim to counter the influence of various left-wing militants, Naxalite groups and the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI-ML) in central Bihar. The Ranvir Sena has been connected to a number of massacres including the massacre at Laxmanpur Bathe. It has, on several occasions, been accused of human rights abuses. The Bihar state government banned the Ranvir Sena in July 1995, but the group continue to remain active. The group has frequently publicly claimed responsibility for its crimes with impunity.

Caste-related violence in India has occurred and continues to occur in various forms.

Kizhavenmani is a village in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu state in India. The village is about 25 km from the district headquarters town of Nagapattinam. It is in the fertile river Cauvery Delta, known for its agrarian economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krishnammal Jagannathan</span> Indian activist

Krishnammal Jagannathan is an Indian social activist from the state of Tamil Nadu. She and her husband, Sankaralingam Jagannathan, protested against social injustice and they are Gandhian activists. Her work includes upliftment of the landless, and the poor; she has sometimes fought against governments as well as big industries. She was earlier involved in the Indian independence movement, along with her husband, and was also a close associate of Vinoba Bhave. In 2008 she received the Right Livelihood Award, which she shared with her husband. She was given the Padma Bhushan; India's third highest civilian award; in 2020.

Diwan Bahadur Rettamalai Srinivasan, commonly known as R. Srinivasan, was a Scheduled Caste activist and politician from then Madras Presidency of British India. He is a Paraiyar icon and was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and was also an associate of B. R. Ambedkar. He is remembered today as one of the pioneers of the Scheduled caste movement in India. He founded the Adi dravida mahajana sabha in 1893.

The politics of Bihar, an eastern state of India, is dominated by regional political parties. As of 2021, the main political groups are Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United) (JDU), Indian National Congress (INC), Left Front, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM). There are also some smaller regional parties, including Samata Party, Hindustani Awam Morcha, Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal, Jan Adhikar Party and Vikassheel Insaan Party, Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, which play a vital role in politics of state. As of 2024, Bihar is currently ruled by NDA, after JDU break out from Mahagatbandhan (Grandalliance) coalition and returned to NDA fold.

The Laxmanpur Bathe massacre was a massacre conducted in the Laxmanpur Bathe village in Arwal district of Bihar, where 58 scheduled caste people were allegedly killed by members of the Ranvir Sena in retaliation for the Bara massacre in which 37 upper castes were killed. Laxmanpur Bathe is a village in Arwal district in Bihar, on the Son river about 90–km from Patna.

The 1996 Bathani Tola massacre was an incident of caste-related violence in which an upper-caste militia killed 21 Dalits, including women and children, in the Bhojpur district in Indian state of Bihar on 11 July 1996. The attacks were allegedly by members of the Ranvir Sena, in response to Dalit labourers' demand for wage increase.

Karamchedu massacre refers to an incident that occurred in Karamchedu, Bapatla district of Andhra Pradesh on 17 July 1985, where brutality by Kamma landlords against Madigas (Dalits) resulted in the killing of six Madigas and grievous injuries to many others. Three Madiga women were raped. Hundreds of Madigas in the village were displaced from their home after their houses were burnt and looted.

Mythili Sivaraman was an Indian women's rights and trade union activist. She was a co-founder of All India Democratic Women's Association and leader in the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Through her writings and activism she brought attention to the Keezhvenmani massacre of 1968 and the Vachati mass rape cases of 1992. She led efforts to drive women's empowerment, particularly of women from the disadvantaged communities, and trade union and labour activism. She was a contributor to Economic and Political Weekly, and wrote for publications including Mainstream and the Radical Review.

In the 2012 Dharmapuri violence, a Vanniyar caste mob set fire to about 268 Dalit houses in Natham, old and new Kondampatti and Annanagar Dalit colonies in Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu on 8 November 2012. The violence occurred after a Vanniyar girl from Sellankottai village, and a Dalit boy, from the neighbouring Dalit colony of Natham, fled due to parental opposition to get married. A caste panchayat held on the morning of 7 November by leaders from both communities ruled that the girl be returned to her family. Distraught at her decision to stay with her husband, her father allegedly committed suicide. The discovery of his body later that day is said to have provoked a 1,500-strong mob to rampage through Natham and two smaller Dalit settlements, Kondampatti and Anna Nagar, where it set ablaze over 200 houses, damaged at least 50 others, and allegedly looted valuables and cash worth lakhs of rupees. The mob rampaged for four hours and was brought under control after arrest of 90 men and an additional deployment of 1000 policemen.

Uthapuram is a village in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for a wall which segregated Dalits from the village for two decades.

<i>Asuran</i> (2019 film) 2019 Indian film

Asuran (transl. Demon) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language period action drama film directed by Vetrimaaran and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu. It is based on the novel Vekkai (transl. Heat) by Poomani. The film stars Dhanush, along with Manju Warrier, Ken Karunas, and Teejay Arunasalam. G. V. Prakash Kumar composed the film's music. Cinematography was handled by Velraj, with editing by R. Ramar.

<i>Narappa</i> 2021 film directed by Srikanth Addala

Narappa is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language period action drama film directed by Srikanth Addala. It is remake of Vetrimaaran's Tamil-language film Asuran (2019) which is itself based on the novel Vekkai by Poomani. The film is produced by D. Suresh Babu and Kalaipuli S. Thanu under their respective banners Suresh Productions and V Creations. The film stars Venkatesh, Priyamani, Karthik Rathnam, and Vasishta N. Simha, while Nassar, Rao Ramesh, Rajeev Kanakala, Brahmaji, Ammu Abhirami, Aadukalam Naren and Karthik Rathnam plays the other important supporting roles.

The 2004 Kalapatti violence refers to the violence against Dalits by dominant-caste villagers in the village of Kalapatti, Tamil Nadu on 16 May 2004. About 100 Dalit houses have been burned down by a mob of 200 villagers and Dalits who attempted to escape were attacked. The attacks lasted for 2 hours and 14 people were seriously injured in the violence including a man's arm reportedly hacked off.

The 2015 Seshasamudram violence also known as the Villupuram violence refers to the violence that took place on 15 August 2015 in Seshasmudram, a village in Sankarapuram Taluk, Viluppuram District, Tamil Nadu. A crowd of 500 dominant-caste villagers attacked a Dalit colony over a dispute over a procession of a temple car. 15 houses belonging to the Dalits were burnt down and 40 Dalits were injured during the violence.

The 1978 Villupuram atrocity was an incident of caste based violence which happened on July 1978 in Villupuram, Tamil Nadu. The violence resulted in 12 Dalits being killed and more than 100 Dalit houses burned down in Periyaparaichery, a Dalit settlement. The violence was caused when a group of Dalits allegedly attacked a dominant caste man after he allegedly molested a Dalit women. Later, dominant caste people attacked the settlement with rocket fireworks and indulged in arsoning and assault. The Dalits also retaliated by setting fire to several dominant caste houses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalits in Bihar</span> Post independence mobilisation of Dalits in Bihar

Dalits in Bihar are a social group composed of many Scheduled Castes, placed at the bottom of the "caste-based social order". The Dalits also include some of the erstwhile untouchable castes, who suffered various forms of oppression in the feudal-agrarian society of Bihar. Some of the Dalit castes have specific cultural practices, which differ from those of orthodox Hinduism.

References

  1. ↑ "Farmers pay tribute to Kilvenmani victims". The Hindu . 25 July 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 Kathleen Gough (August 1974). "Indian Peasant Uprisings". Economic and Political Weekly. jstor.org. 9 (32/34): 1391–1412. JSTOR   4363915.
  3. 1 2 "Fifty years after caste violence, Keezhvenmani village waiting for daylight". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 10 May 2020.Meanwhile, at Irinjiur village in Anakkudi Panchayat, the family of Gopalakrishna Naidu, the landlord who allegedly orchestrated the massacre has sought police protection this year, considering this is the 50th anniversary of the incident.
  4. 1 2 3 "Anniversary of Keezhvenmani carnage observed". The Hindu. 26 December 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "New memorial to commemorate Keezhvenmani massacre". The Hindu. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  6. ↑ The Administrator, Vol. 35. Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration. 1990. p. 94.
  7. ↑ "Continued violence against Dalits raises the question, how 'tolerant' are Hindus?". DNA India. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Communists, dalit groups pay respects to Keezhvenmani massacre victims". Times Of India. 26 December 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  9. ↑ Elisabeth Armstrong (7 November 2013). Gender and Neoliberalism: The All India Democratic Women's Association and Globalization Politics. Routledge. p. 28. ISBN   978-1-317-91142-5.
  10. 1 2 "Fire of 1968 still burning inside". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  11. ↑ "From the Archives (Dec. 27): 42 persons burnt alive in Thanjavur village". The Hindu. 27 December 2018. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  12. ↑ Josian Racine & Jean Racine, Dalit Identities and the Dialectic of Oppression and Emancipation in a Changing India: The Tamil Case and Beyond Archived 29 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ "Red Rice: caste and class war". The Sunday Indian. 11 March 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  14. ↑ "When All Roads Led to Venmani: Revisiting the Keezhvenmani Massacre". The Wire. Retrieved 10 May 2020.:On 25 December 1968, 44 Dalit agricultural labourers were hurled into a hut and burnt alive by a landlord named Gopalakrishna Naidu.
  15. ↑ Staff Reporter (10 March 2014). "New memorial to commemorate Keezhvenmani massacre". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  16. ↑ Ramiahvin Kudisai (The Hut of Ramiah),documentary film
  17. ↑ Omvedt, Gail, Reinventing Revolution: New Social Movements and the Socialist Tradition in India, M.E. Sharpe, Armonk, 1993, p..78
  18. ↑ "Lest we forget..." The Hindu. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  19. 1 2 "America was a golden cage for me". The Hindu. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "The Gypsy Goddess by Meena Kandasamy, book review: Class war exposes India's dark heart". Independent. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Is Dhanush-starrer 'Asuran' based on the 1968 Kilvenmani massacre in Tamil Nadu?". New Indian Express. 8 October 2019.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.