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People’s
stories: whose beach is it?
The 2004
tsunami has sparked off menacing clashes between large hoteliers and local
communities. One of those is in Kovalam, Tamil Nadu.
Kovalam’s Fisherman’s
Cove, a Taj Group hotel, previously taken over nine acres of land belonging to
fishing communities in return for educational and food subsidies, as well as
promises of employment. These promises had been met half way by the hotel’s
management.
Post-tsunami, the community felt it was not unwarranted to land their boats on
the beach and wanted to renegotiate the deal. But the
Taj Group – the current owners of the hotel – refused to talk and filed
wrongful charges against them. The women of the community were beaten up by
the police and nine men arrested in a night raid on their village.
Gita, whose husband is a
fisherman, recalls:
“The next day was the Tamil New Year and we were preparing food – rice,
batter for the dosas and idlis.
“Suddenly I heard people screaming, ‘Police coming! They said that our men
were going to be arrested. There were at least 50 policemen. They asked ‘who
were the men who went to Fisherman’s Cove and caused problems?’ Everyone
asked how they could pick people at random. I was terrified. I knew that
something bad would happen.
My husband is a panchayat member and we knew the police would recognize him so
he was hiding. Someone told me to call police security. I was crying on the
phone as I was talking but the policeman on the other end told me to call the
superintendent of police (SP) of Kanchipuram. When I got back to the group I
realized that very SP Amal Raj was beating up our fishermen. I fell at his feet
begging him to stop.
The police were saying that they’d got a complaint from the Taj Group that
village people had been lifting their clothes near the hotel so they deserved to
be beaten up.
I thought the police would at least spare
the women because they were initially hitting their lathis on the ground
only. Then suddenly I was hit very hard
on the leg. The pain was so bad that I just sat down on the ground. I was
lucky not to be beaten again. I saw my brother being beaten and his wife crying.
My thirteen year old daughter, Abirami, went up to a policeman – they
get taught in school that the sea belongs to the fishing community - and
told him to get out of our village. He hit her leg too.
My leg was completely swollen and I couldn’t walk for two weeks. The doctors
said there was a blood clot. I’ll never
trust the police again. My blood boils when I see them now!”
Kalayarisi,
another fisherwoman, has a similar tale of horror:
“The police were saying that we were
prostitutes. I was scared. I had no
idea that women could be beaten up. I thought they were just chasing us. The
police surrounded the ladies, and then suddenly
I was hit in the stomach twice. I was screaming, begging them to stop. I’d
had an operation on my womb the day before. They grabbed me and started dragging me towards their van. I said
I’d tear my clothes and petition the High Court that they’d tried to assault
me. They let me go and after I’d walked a few steps I fainted with the pain
and don’t remember anything until I got to a hospital. My stomach was swollen;
I was screaming and rolling around in pain. The doctors said something in
English and gave me a tablet. Then they told me to go home immediately. I felt
they weren’t bothered because they knew the police had been involved.
A few days later I was buying vegetables and rice when I blacked out and
collapsed. Since then I’ve been seeing many doctors because I keep on
fainting. Finally I got a stomach scan. They asked if anything had happened and
that’s when I told them I’d been beaten up. They said I’d got a blood clot and needed an operation. I’m going in the
day after tomorrow.
It hurts me but I try to do some housework and cooking. The neighbours help with
fetching water. I can’t do anything that involves carrying stuff, like pouring
rice from a large pot into a small one, or even washing clothes. I’m scared of
the police now. I never used to be. I
don’t understand how the Fisherman’s Cove people could do this to this. In
my mind I’m cursing them.”
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