Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Jan 18: On Saturday January 17 morning, people of Arasammakanu in Shedimane village within Madamakki gram panchayat woke up to find that when they were alseep, banners had been tied, pamphlets had been strewn around, and someone had written anti-government slogans on the walls. All these have been done in the name of Communist Party of India (Maoist).

The lines written in Kannada over the walls of some shops and passenger shelter at Arasammakanu market place proclaim that revolution does not mean worship of guns but celebration of the working class. It also mentioned a quote from Clara Zetkin who reportedly had said that a country where women are exploited can never be considered a free nation. Slogans like 'anti-people Kasturirangan report should be rejected outright, CPI (Maoist) party zindabad, let's come together for the protection if Western Ghats, Let us kick out Project Tiger, Let us together to fight the exploitation of women happening in male-dominated society, Come together to fight against plans and reports which are aimed at handing over the Western Ghats to the control of autocrats who want to plunder it', etc.

Pamphlets pasted to the walls also called upon people to fight against Project Tiger, and work together apolitically to protect the rights of the people here to live, to celebrate tenth annual day of CPI (Maoist) party, and gather under this outfit to become genuinely democratic nation.

After Amasebail police were alerted about these writings, the police personnel visited the site, collected pamphlets, removed pasted pamphlets, and erased the graffiti by painting on then.

People living in some parts of this gram panchayat are apprehensive about the deadly influence of Kasturirangan report on their livelihood. Sometime back, a large number of people from Arasammakanu, Shedimane etc had marched by foot to a place named Mandi Moorukai, where they had blocked Byndoor-Virajpet state highway for sometime to register their resentment against the above report. In the later days, thousands had gathered for the meeting organized to discuss pros and cons of Kasturirangan report. The locals are stoutly opposed to the implementation of this report.

A few years back, naxal writings had made an appearance at Bepde in Arasammakanu, and given rise to a sense of fear in the minds of the people.