Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (SP)
Beltangady, Apr 30: About three years after they were arrested allegedly because of links they had with naxals, the police have filed chargesheet against Vittal Malekudiya from Kutloor as also his father. The two came to know about the fact only after receiving court summons, it is said.
Linganna alias Lingappa (58) from Anila House in Kultoor near Naravi in the taluk, and his children, Vittal (24), and Purushottam (23), had been arrested on March 2, 2012. No charges have been levelled against Purushottam.
Vittal Malekudiya was then the postgraduate student of Mangalore University. He was known to have participated in protests organized by leftists and nurtured revolutionary and progressive thoughts, and was emerging as a student leader. However, the student was confined to four walls after he was arrested for a long time before he secured bail.
Lingappa had left the family's base inside Kudremukh National Park in January 2011, and started living in government site at Naydaguri in Sulkery. After revenue department started operations against the family, he had to return to forests again.
Everyone thought that the issue had been closed once and for all by the police. But, on January 12, 2015, the police applied to the government, seeking permission to file chargesheet against Vittal and his associates. The district superintendent of police received the go ahead signal from the government on January 23, and the police filed chargesheet against seven persons on the 30th of that month. On April 29, the court issued warrants against five and summons against two, to appear in the court.
The chargesheet mentions Vikram Gowda, said to be involved with naxal activities, as accused number 1. Pradeep's name is listed thereafter, followed by John and Prabha as fourth and fifth accused. Vittal Malekudiya and Lingappa are listed under sixth and seventh positions respectively. The father-son duo has been charged with organizing naxal-related meetings in Kutloor area, and having contacts with naxals. The policemen have claimed that they had recovered literature seeking to boycott elections in Vittal's hostel room, duly coming to the conclusion that this is tantamount to abetting naxal activities.
It may be recalled that Vittal's education was truncated after his arrest, and the family had to face lot of problems. After Vittal and his father were arrested, Democratic Youth Federation of India had organized protests against their arrests and its national president, M B Rajesh, had also raised the issue in the Lok Sabha. Prakash and Brinda Karat of the CPM had visited them in the jail here to show support. DYFI has said that the government's initiative in filing chargesheet against a dalit family living in the forest will be strongly opposed.