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For those
of my readers who may feel that I am becoming fond of clichés, it is
not my love for them, but the attitudes of the society which do not
change is what makes me use this title. Our district despite all its
claims to modernity and rule of law etc. is still a very feudal, primitive
place where right is might is the norm!
This is
the story of Sri Padmanabha Shetty who is an electrical engineer - farmer
turned consumer social activist due to forces of circumstances. However,
during this process the persecutions he had to face, the trials and
tribulations he had to undergo and the numerous sacrifices are worthy
of epic novel. The story goes back to about two decades when he and
some others started a consumer organisation at a village called Nekkilady
near Uppinangady in 1985. These young people wanted to organize the
consumers to fight for their rights. The first case which was received
by this organization was about the police refusing to accept a complaint
from one of their members about the harassment by a neighbor. Going
with the usual practice, this organization wrote to the police asking
them for an explanation along with a copy of the complaint received.
The response of the police was immediate and on expected lines. The
head constable took the complaint put it on the ground, stamped on it
and told the complainant that this is the fate of your communication
and the same is going to happen to the organization which has taken
up your complaint.
The police
have a reputation to keep up, particularly with respect to the threats
which they make and the Uppinangady police were particularly keen to
keep up the tradition. Within a short time the convenor of the organisation
started getting the harassment. He was summoned to the police station,
abused, threatened served with all sorts of notices. To stop this harassment
he complained to the Inspector General of Police at Bangalore but was
of no avail. After trying to put up with that, he had to shift his residence.
The post of the head of the organization was taken up by one Srinivas.
The persecution continued with the harassment of the new leader. Not
only that he was beaten up, Srinivas kept in the lockup too. It was
not going to end with these extra legal methods and the police took
help of the ‘due process of law’ too. They also filed a complaint
under section 107 of the Cr.P.C. at the tahasildar’s court at Puttur
citing complaints from one Katyayini and Abdul Khader. For the uninitiated,
this section enables the executive magistrate to restrain anti social
elements and they can be externed from the area permanently or for long
periods. The tahasildar, Mr. Lobo who was hand in glove with police
passed an order restraining Mr. Padmanabha Shetty from entering his
own village
Padmanabha
Shetty and his friends had to challenge this order in the sessions court
who promptly stayed it. The final judgement delivered in July, 1987
was a severe indictment of the police. The court came down heavily upon
the police for creating fictitious allegations and clubbing together
two complaints which had nothing in common.
Though
Mr. Shetty had made his point, it took a heavy toll on him in terms
of health and finances. He sold his property at Nekkilady and settled
down in Kinnigoly, a village in Mangalore taluk. Despite of all the
problems he had to face, he had not given up his zeal for creating consumer
awareness. He started a consumer organization in Kinnigoli called Balakedarara
Jagruthi Vedike and registered it. He worked for a district level federation
of consumer organizations. He also conducted hundreds of awareness programs
for consumers, published hand books, many training camps for the students
of schools and colleges. In these activities the district administration
including the deputy commissioner and the food and civil supplies departments
have been actively involved. Thousands of consumers have had their complaints
heard and disputes settled through these.
Despite
of having a good rapport with these officials, Mr. Shettys sympathies
always lay with the underprivileged of the society. In 2001 the organization
headed by Mr. Shetty took a complaint from one Mr. Babu Shetty. He was
in possession of some government land from many decades and applied
for regularization. His neighbour who was the owner of several acres
of land adjoining this plot had been eying this land. Since Mr. Babu
Shetty refused to hand it over, the feudal landlord took the help of
the police to evict Mr. Babu Shetty. When Mr. Babu Shetty took the help
of the consumer organisation, they wrote to the higher officials and
the chief minister etc. As per the usual practice the complaints all
were referred to the same police circle inspector who had been harassing
Mr. Babu Shetty! The man promptly summoned Mr.Babu Shetty to the police
station soundly abused him and threatened him with dire consequences
if he did not give up the land. This was followed by a number of letters
to the various higher officials, enquiries and other official correspondence.
The police
tried very hard to cause a rift between Mr.Padmanabha Shetty and Mr.Babu
Shetty, but it did not work. The office bearers of the Kinnigoli Balakedara
Jagruthi Vedike were summoned to the police station and threatened individually
so as to cause a split among them. When that did not work false complaints
were filed against the office bearers and they were harassed again.
Numerous representations to the higher officials did not result in any
action. Then, Mr. Padmanabha Shetty complained to the Chief Minister
again, who sent back the same to the Deputy Commissioner. He conducted
an enquiry through then Tahasildar who filed a report saying that the
office bearers of the consumer organization were being harassed by the
police at the instigation of some vested interests of the village.
Despite
of his predecessor having said these things, the Tahsildar has taken
up a case under section 107 of the Cr.P.C. against the office bearers
of the association and has issued notice to them. The office bearers
have been verbally assured that they have nothing to fear and it is
only an enquiry. But, Mr. Padmanabha Shetty who has become wise in the
ways of the bureaucracy has already approached the sessions court at
Mangalore and had obtained a stay order against the proceedings up to
7th
March,2008.
These
happenings do support my choice of a title for this write up. To understand
the motives behind this behaviour of the police, one has to understand
the rural set up. Despite of claims to the contrary, our district remains
very much feudalistic in mind set. The bigger land lord looks down upon
the smaller land owner and since land is a very precious commodity,
a lot of battles are fought for it. In the village set up, the police
are the prosecutor judge and jury all rolled into one. If one can purchase
the police they can do whatever they like. In this context, when the
bigger land owner decided to take over his smaller counter parts land,
he took the help of the police. The consumer organization was the only
thing that stood between him and his objective. Since Mr. Padmanabha
Shetty stood very much for justice and fair play the opposite parties
tried to fix him and his organization and since he was not corruptible
they had to try other means. What other better means than the police?
They could always file false cases and harass the people and then get
away with it claiming that it was action taken in good faith! This action
taken in good faith is an excuse always used by the government departments
to harass innocent people.
The govt.
departments which are supposed to encourage an open administration and
public accountability never do that because they want to gang up with
the vested interests to harass and intimidate law abiding citizens.
One would like to know as to what the district administration has to
say about this harassment of a law abiding citizen who is a well respected
figure in the consumer movement and has taken up thousands of cases
of consumers and has tried to spread consumer awareness in many, many
places. Perhaps, it is the attitude of the govt. agencies that consumer
awareness should be restricted to platitudes expressed from platforms
and not action.
Padmanabha
Shetty- President of the Balakedarara Jagruthi Vedike, Kinnigoli
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