Degeneration of Democracy in Tamilnadu
Last
week, in this column, I wrote about the importance of the third tier
of our democracy- the "Civic Bodies" and exhorted that intellectuals,
women and benevolent should contest and actively take part in civic
body elections. The turnout in the first phase was at over 66 per
cent, with Ariyalur, Tirunelveli and Pudukottai districts reporting
between 70 and 75 per cent. The turnout in the second phase of polling
conducted in 36,550 booths on October 18, 2001 was reported to be
"above 60 per cent". It shows that the people have faith in the local
bodies''. But in Chennai, only 36.11 per cent turned up possibly because
the residents preferred to stay indoors. I was extremely disturbed
by the fact that with scant regard for electoral norms and respect
for law, the goondas indulged in all kinds of malpractices and tried
to reduce the civic elections to a farce. The modus operandi was similar.
Gangs came to the booths in several autorickshaws and vans, threatened
the election agents with sharp weapons, chased away the polling officers
and waiting voters and 'stuffed' the boxes with ballot papers. The
large-scale rigging, booth capturing, 'stuffing' of ballot boxes,
tearing and burning of the ballot papers, road blockades, group clashes,
attack on voters and contestants, and police firing shocked those
who believe in democracy. The objective was to terrorise the voters
so that they do not turn out even if the repoll is ordered. What has
caused concern is the brazen manner in which the rigging and stuffing
operations have been carried out. The groups have turned up in a fleet
of vehicles, threatened voters and polling agents with knives and
sickles, snatched the ballot papers and stuffed the boxes.
Unprecedented
Violence
In the wake of unprecedented violence in the first phase of civic
election in Tamilnadu on October 16, the State Election Commission
initially ordered repolling in 130 booths (43 violence-hit booths
in the city besides 87 in other areas of the State) on October 19,
2001. The State Election Commission instructed the police to resort
to firing, if necessary, to ensure peaceful polling in the second
phase of poll which held on October 18, 2001. In spite of this, large-scale
violence, terror-tactics and rigging characterized the second phase
of civic election and also during the repolls, in a virtual replay
of the incidents of the first phase of the poll. The political miscreants
harassed the BJP woman contestant from Alandur constituency and threatened
her to face dire consequences if she thinks of contesting the poll
again. Expressing ''deep concern'' over reports of large-scale malpractices
in the second phase of the civic polls, the State Election Commissioner,
Mr.P.S.Pandyan, ordered repolling in 22 booths, including 19 in the
violence-hit Alandur municipality in Chennai. The Election Commission
after observing complaints ordered repolls in more booths and the
final figure of booths tat went for repoll was 499 (306 in the first
phase and 193 in the second phase). In ward 3 at Vaaniyanchaavadi
in the Thirupporur Union, miscreants, supporting Mr. Sankar, contesting
as an Independent for councillor, entered the polling booth. They
seized the ballot box, went out to the road and broke it open. They
then emptied the ballot papers and set it alight. Out of a total of
over 1,100 votes, 450 had been cast till then. In Alandur area, the
Social Welfare Minister Ms Valarmathi was alleged to have indulged
in rigging. It is highly condemnable that a minister headed the miscreants
who indulged in undemocratic acts. The Governor should ask the Chief
Minister to give him a report on the situation that necessitated the
minister's presence over there that too in the polling booths.
There were three instances of police firing in Dharmapuri, Pudukottai
and Ramanathapuram districts. The inspector of the Soolagiri station,
Dharmpuri, opened fire to chase away an unruly mob, which attacked
him after he asked a shopkeeper to down the shutters as the shop was
within 100 metres of a booth. Three persons sustained bullet injuries.
The police resorted to a lathicharge in the Kambermallur panchayat
union in Dharmapuri district to disperse a group, which tried to coerce
the voters into voting for a particular party. In Ramanathapuram,
the police opened fire in the air to keep away two groups, owing allegiance
to different Independents, which clashed over bogus voting. In Mudukulathur,
violence took the form of a caste clash between Thevars and Yadavas.
There were skirmishes between Thevars and Yadavas in neighbouring
Melatuval village. Similarly, the police opened fire in the air to
disperse villagers of Kanavoor and Selvanenthal in Pudukottai district
who staged a `road roko' demanding repolling. The villagers allegedly
attempted to snatch the polling materials at Jagadapattinam. Teargas
shells were burst to disperse the villagers of Thenkarai in Tiruvannamalai
district, who picketed traffic objecting to the shifting of a booth
from their place to another village, which was three kms away.
Madurai witnessed tense moments after a pro-AIADMK newspaper, Dina
Boomi, pasted posters all over the city claiming that the CPI(M) had
decided to support the AIADMK to defeat the DMK. A gang later attacked
the newspaper office. In Madurai city, polling was suspended in a
booth at Palamedu following violent clashes in which a police vehicle
was damaged and two policemen were injured. The police fired in the
air at two villages - Veeracholan panchayat in Virudhunagar district
and Thalayanpalayam near Gummidipoondi in Tiruvallur district-to disperse
clashing groups. It has been reported that tension brewed even as
the polling began on a dull note. Within three hours of polling, angry
youth went berserk with not many police personnel available to counter
the attack, even though the village was identified as "hyper- sensitive".
Veeracholan, a reserved panchayat for women, witnessed violence in
the past when the police opened fire during a 1998 Assembly by-election.
It was timely intervention by the police officer who was patrolling
the area on his motorcycle averted what could have turned out to be
a major communal clash.
Even if we assume that the Opposition parties and the press have
exaggerated the violence, the Director-General of Police, Mr. B. P.
Nailwal himself has told the media that there were 28 incidents including
two cases of police opening fire in the air to disperse clashing groups,
two instances of 'mild lathicharge', two cases of arson and 12 complaints
of assault. However, the Home Secretary, Mr. Naresh Gupta, maintained
that the polling was ``by and large smooth and peaceful'' in the second
phase. ....more
