CHENNAI: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam and several party members were arrested in Siruthavur on Thursday during a protest demanding the retrieval of land in Siruthavur originally allotted to Dalit families but later allegedly encroached upon by associates of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
The demonstration, held in Siruthavur village, Chengalpattu district, formed part of the CPM's ongoing campaign to secure land rights for marginalised communities.
With senior revenue officials failing to attend the negotiations and no assurance forthcoming from the tahsildar who was present, protesters, including local Dalit residents, farmers and party cadres, resorted to a road blockade, following which police detained Shanmugam and others.
Speaking to reporters, Shanmugam said the 53 acres in question were allotted in 1967 under a scheme initiated by former chief minister CN Annadurai for landless Scheduled Caste families. -Over time, the land was allegedly taken over fraudulently under the pretext of welfare schemes, with ownership transferred to individuals linked to a private resort owned by Jayalalithaa's associates, " he said.
He recalled that a one-man commission headed by Justice KP Sivasubramanian, constituted during the DMK regime in 2007, had confirmed the fraudulent patta transfers and recommended the land, including 34 acres of poramboke land within Jayalalithaa's Siruthavur estate, be reclaimed and returned to Dalit beneficiaries.
Despite the commission's findings being tabled in the Assembly, successive governments have failed to act, Shanmugam said.
He urged the DMK-led government to implement the recommendations without further delay and fulfil its commitment to social justice by restoring the land to its rightful owners.