Workers of CPM campus arm SFI on Friday vandalised the office of Wayanad Lok Sabha member Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of not pressing the Centre to declare a 1km-wide zone around all wildlife reserves and national parks as ecologically sensitive zones where no development or construction would be allowed.
The SFI activists barged into the office in Kalpetta, Wayanad, and vandalised everything in sight at around 3pm on Friday during their protest march against the ESZ mandated by a recent Supreme Court order. They smashed office furniture and assaulted an office staff member.
Video clips aired by channels showed SFI workers entering the office through windows and destroying office property. It required a heavy deployment of riot police to bring the situation under control.
The Supreme Court’s ruling applicable to all states had come in a matter related to mining in a wildlife sanctuary in Rajasthan. The order meant that all kinds of constructions and livelihood activities would have to be stopped in the ESZs.
This has caused much concern in Kerala, a state where 29 per cent of its geographical area is covered by forest land, that include 16 wildlife sanctuaries and five national parks.
The order would thus hit the state, whose population density of 859 per square kilometre is double the national average, since its population living in these areas eke out their livelihood in what would be the ESZs.
Districts such as Wayanad and Idukki, with large tracts of forestland, would be worst affected if the order is implemented since many of the panchayats and townships skirt forests.
Congress workers immediately blocked the highway connecting Wayanad to Kozhikode and demanded action against the vandals and urged the CPM leadership to explain it.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the act. “Strongly condemns the offence on @RGWayanadOffice. In our country everyone has the right to air their opinions and protest democratically. However, that shouldn’t result in excess. It is a wrong tendency. Strict action will be taken against the culprits,” he tweeted.
Senior CPM leader and convener of the ruling Left Democratic Front, E.P. Jayarajan told reporters that there was absolutely no need for such a protest against Rahul.
“We don’t subscribe to such acts of vandalism and violence and there was no absolutely no need for a protest march against Rahul Gandhi. I will find out what happened and comment later,” he said.
But Congress leaders termed it a deliberate act to please the BJP.
“We strongly believe that this happened with the full knowledge of the chief minister since his party let loose its cadres to vandalise Rahul Gandhi’s office to please the BJP national leadership and save himself from the gold smuggling case,” alleged leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan of the Congress.
The Congress has for long been accusing Vijayan and the LDF government of going soft on the BJP ever since the government got embroiled in a 2020 gold smuggling case.A prime accused in the case had recently alleged the involvement of Vijayan and his family members in the case although the CPM and the LDF government have vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
“That the police were mere onlookers when these SFI criminals vandalised the office further strengthens our allegation (that it was a deliberate act with the blessings of the CPM leadership). This is a move by the ruling party to create confusion and trigger turmoil in the state to deflect attention from the gold smuggling case,” Satheesan accused.
Congress workers led by Kalpetta MLA T. Siddique staged a sit-in protest outside the district police chief’s office demanding the arrest of all the SFI workers who participated in the vandalism.
