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<title>World Malayalee Voice &#45; : Analysis</title>
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<description>World Malayalee Voice &#45; : Analysis</description>
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<dc:rights>Copyright © 2026 World Malayalee Voice. All Rights Reserved.</dc:rights>

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<title>An Adivasi struggle, a false case, and brutal torture: The story of KK Surendran</title>
<link>https://worldmalayaleevoice.com/an-adivasi-struggle-a-false-case-and-brutal-torture-the-story-of-kk-surendran</link>
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<description><![CDATA[ Follow TNM&#039;s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.After more than two decades of legal battles, KK Surendran, a victim of custodial torture in Muthanga of Sulthan Bathery, Wayanad, has received a court verdict ordering the Kerala government to pay him Rs 12.5 lakh in compensation. The legal battle spanning 22 years stemmed from a false case filed by the Kerala police in connection with the Muthanga agitation. Surendran was tortured in custody, the physical effects of which he continues to suffer even now, including partial hearing loss. The Muthanga agitation was a land occupation struggle led by the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha at the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary in Wayanad in February 2003.Surendran was arrested by the police for allegedly supporting the protestors and was labelled a left-wing extremist. “The police alleged that I trained the Adivasis to use arms while they were protesting for land. I had no connection to the agitation,” he said.Later, a CBI inquiry resulted in his release from jail. However, the physical injuries and trauma he suffered due to custodial torture at the Sulthan Bathery police station remained in his memory. This prompted him to file a petition in court seeking compensation. Although he received a favourable court order in 2021, the then-government, led by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), appealed against it. After about five years, he obtained another favourable judgement on March 16 this year.Surendran, a Dalit man and a retired faculty member at the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), met with Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan on July 9, who assured him that the state would not appeal the decision and would proceed with the compensation payment.Unsettled wounds During the Muthanga struggle, agitating Adivasis occupied forest land to protest broken government promises regarding land distribution. Over 600 tribal families entered the Muthanga forest area, set up temporary huts, and began cultivating the land as a form of peaceful protest. The movement was led by the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha (AGMS) and notable leaders such as CK Janu and M Geethanandan. A police firing on February 19 resulted in two deaths: one tribal man and one policeman. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) was in power in Kerala at that time, under chief minister AK Antony.When the Muthanga firing occurred, Surendran was in Thiruvananthapuram participating in a dharna organised by the DIET staff association. &quot;I went to Thiruvananthapuram on February 18, and the dharna took place on 19. I learned about the police action through newspapers,&quot; he stated.However, police found Surendran’s phone number in the diary of one of the protest leaders, M Geethanandan, and alleged that Surendran was connected to the protest.“As part of my role in DIET, I did work related to tribal education, which is how Geethanandan had my contact number. Apart from that, I had no connection with the struggle. However, police alleged that I gave classes to Adivasis on how to use weapons,” he said.Surendran was arrested when he returned to Wayanad from Thiruvananthapuram on February 22. He was forcibly taken from his staff room by the police, dragged across the floor in front of colleagues and students, and thrown into a police jeep without disclosure of any reason for arrest. Starting from 10.30 amnthat morning, he was subjected to physical torture till 9.30 pm at the Sulthan Bathery Police Station.Surendran alleged that he was denied food and water, and his arrest was not communicated to his family. Neither was he produced before a magistrate within 24 hours as mandated by law.His support for the Adivasi struggle had made him a target for the police, Surendran alleged, adding that the arrest and the fabricated case were all pre-planned. “Adivasis were conducting a genuine protest for their land. But the then UDF government did not respond to the struggle properly; instead, they gave free rein to the police,” Surendran explained, adding that the police’s handling of the struggle resulted in violence. “The police arrested and assaulted innocent individuals like me,” he said.After his arrest, his wife approached the Kerala High Court, which directed the authorities to provide him with proper medical treatment. As a result, he was admitted to the Pariyaram Medical College, where he remained under police custody for 12 days while receiving treatment.Later, the case went to the CBI, who gave him a clean chit.“If the CBI had not found that I am innocent, I might still not have a job, and I would have still been waiting for the verdict, as the Muthanga case trial finished only recently,” Surendran added.Surendran returned to the service in 2004, and retired in 2018.Two decades of legal battleImmediately after his release from jail on March 30, 2003, he filed a criminal complaint against the police officers who assaulted him. In 2008, the Kerala High Court quashed the case. In 2004, he filed an indigent o ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:35:10 +0000</pubDate>
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<media:keywords>Adivasi, struggle, false, case, and, brutal, torture:, The, story, Surendran</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Religious freedom, reciprocity and the future of India’s democratic promise</title>
<link>https://worldmalayaleevoice.com/religious-freedom-reciprocity-and-the-future-of-indias-democratic-promise</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 05:43:28 +0000</pubDate>
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<title>Why Kerala’s low&#45;alcohol liquor tax cuts have sparked a political row</title>
<link>https://worldmalayaleevoice.com/why-keralas-low-alcohol-liquor-tax-cuts-have-sparked-a-political-row</link>
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<description><![CDATA[ A month after the United Democratic Front (UDF) government took office in Kerala, Chief Minister VD Satheesan is facing criticism from the Opposition, sections within his own coalition, and religious leaders over a decision to slash taxes on low-alcohol liquor.The controversy centres on a provision in the revised Budget for 2026-27 that significantly reduces the sales tax on liquor with alcohol content of up to 20%.What did the government announce?Presenting the revised Budget, Chief Minister VD Satheesan, who also holds the Finance portfolio, announced that low-alcohol liquor would be taxed at 120% and 175%, depending on its alcohol content. Currently, all Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) alcohol in the state is taxed at 251%.Products containing up to 20% alcohol are classified as low-alcohol beverages. Most liquor currently sold in the state, including whisky, rum and brandy, contains around 42% alcohol and is taxed at 251%.According to the Budget documents, products containing 0.5% to 10% alcohol by volume (v/v) will attract a sales tax of 120%, while products with alcohol content above 10% and up to 20% v/v will be taxed at 175%. Alcohol strength is measured as v/v (volume by volume), which refers to the proportion of pure alcohol in a beverage. For example, a drink with 10% alcohol v/v contains 10 ml of pure alcohol in every 100 ml of the beverage.Why does the government say the tax cut was needed?The government has maintained that the decision is not a new policy initiative but a continuation of changes introduced under the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.Excise Minister Liju has reiterated that the classification of products containing 0.5% to 20% alcohol as low-alcohol beverages was introduced by the previous LDF government. The revised Budget says the tax changes are intended to bring clarity to the tax structure applicable to products in this category.The Abkari policy is Kerala’s annual policy governing the manufacture, sale, distribution and taxation of alcoholic beverages in the state. Under the Abkari Policy for 2022-23, the LDF had amended the Foreign Liquor Rules to classify liquor containing 0.5% to 20% alcohol by volume (excluding beer and wine) as &quot;low alcoholic beverages&quot;. The change was aimed at creating a regulatory framework for the manufacture and sale of such products, including beverages made from locally sourced fruits, grains and other agricultural produce. While the category was introduced then, a separate tax structure was not fixed. Why has the move sparked criticism within the UDF?The decision appears to have caught even some members of the ruling coalition off guard.Excise Minister M Liju said that the decision regarding taxation is an administrative one taken by the government and that whether or not such ‘low alcoholic beverages’ should be sold in Kerala is a policy-level decision that has not yet been discussed by the UDF.Chief Minister Satheesan also reportedly received a strongly-worded letter from former president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) VM Sudheeran. Known for his push for prohibition under the Oommen Chandy government, Sudheeran said that the tax cuts announced by Satheesan promote alcohol and goes against the Congress manifesto promise of tackling alcohol and drug issues. Among those upset by the decision are also leaders of minority communities, as well as the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a major ally of the Congress in Kerala. Concerns regarding the tax cuts should be discussed and addressed, IUML chief Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal told the government in an article published in the party mouthpiece Chandrika. Leaders of the Church have also criticised the tax cut. The State Committee of the Temperance Commission under the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council called it a revenue-boosting move that would encourage the youth to take to drinking. It also said that the Committee would resist the government’s move if the concerns are not addressed. Several leaders of the Church also said that there is no merit in saying that reducing the price of low-alcohol products would deter the youth from taking to more harmful substances.What are the Opposition&#039;s allegations?The Opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist) has alleged that the tax reduction is designed to benefit a private liquor manufacturer.Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan told the Assembly that a Karnataka-based liquor company had earlier approached the previous LDF government seeking lower tax rates. He alleged that the UDF government&#039;s decision would enable the company to earn excessive profits.Former Excise minister MB Rajesh also raised corruption allegations against Chief Minister Satheesan. However, the government has rejected suggestions that the move represents a major policy shift. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:35:10 +0000</pubDate>
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