Lone Hindu family in Muslim refugee camp vows to fight saffron agenda.

By K.A.SHAJI

KOZHIKODE: His family happens to be the lone one from the Hindu community to share the refugee camp set up at Chaliyam along with 32 Muslim families which fled Marad after the May 2 carnage.

And the 70-year-old Thekkethodi Sukumaran, whose house at trouble-torn Marad was looted by members of his own religion and his six sons facing death threat, has the grit to be positive.``I will have to maintain cordiality with Muslims,'' he asserts.Driven by faith in secular values, and fearing attacks from Hindu fanatics, Sukumaran, who has been at the receiving end of the wrath of Marad Araya Samajam since his refusal to accept the ideology of BJP-RSS, along with his 24-member family, moved into houses of relatives outside Marad soon after the May 2 communal carnage.

They landed at the camp set up by the CPM at Chaliyam, two weeks back for want of further security.``I saw some of my relatives among the gang which threatened me of dare consequences if I continued to work for social solidarity and communal amity. The Araya Samajam people are driven by communal and casteist forces from outside. If we can't overcome this communal agenda of Sangh Parivar, what will happen to our State ?,'' asks Sukumaran.After 100 days of displacement, Sukumaran's wife Sulochana has lost all faith in the Government and the police machinery.

``My house at Marad was looted by a Hindu mob soon after the carnage.They took away all the valuables including television, almirah and wooden furniture. Moreover, they destroyed our fishing net worth Rs 2 lakh,'' said an emotionally charged Sulochana.Now the family is fully excommunicated by the Marad Araya Samajam. The right-wing organisation has already given instruction to nearby Araya Samajams not to provide job, refuge or financial assistance to the family of Sukumaran.

His sons Devan, Unni and Saravanan came under attacks of suspected BJP-RSS workers at Koyilandy and Vatakara during the last four weeks for not supporting the Sangh Parivar agenda.``We are afraid of returning to Marad, an area virtually divided by fanatics among Hindus and Muslims. Why the Araya Samajam is punishing the entire Muslim community for the crime committed by a few.

We have urged CPM leadership to arrange a house outside Marad for my family,'' said Sukumaran.Sukumaran along with his family is now residing along with 32 Muslim refugee families at the camp at Chaliyam, set up around two months back and being run with the financial backing of class and mass organisations of Left parties(The Indian Express, August 14, 2003)