The anti-encroachment drive in Kerala’s Munnar hill resort seems to have come to a temporary halt following disputes in the CPI(M)-led ruling lDF over the razing of a giant Cross erected by a Christian group in encroached forest land by Revenue Department officials on Thursday though the Christian clergy in the State have expressed displeasure at the misuse of the religious symbol for grabbing public land.
Though the lDF refused to say that the anti-encroachment drive would undergo a temporary freeze, sources indicated that it could effectively be abandoned for the time being. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Thursday reprimanded revenue officials of Devikulam, Munnar for razing the Cross and had publicly criticised them for the act.
Anti-encroachment activities would resume in Munnar only after an all-party meet on the matter, the date for which was yet to be finalised, sources said.
An lDF meeting on Friday witnessed disputes between the Chief Minister and delegates of the CPI, whose leader E Chandrasekharan is the State Revenue Minister, over the razing of the Cross and eviction of encroachers.
Though the CPI had vehemently defended the revenue officials’ act in Pappathichola near Devikulam by pointing out that the Cross was razed and the encroached land was retrieved as per the lDF Government’s policy and decision, Pinarayi refused to be satisfied. He argued that the dismantling of the Cross could have led to serious social and political problems.
The lDF meeting decided to seek the view of all sections concerned, including religious leaders, over the move against encroachers in Munnar.
“There are settlers and encroachers in Munnar region. The two cases should be seen separately,” the Chief Minister told newsmen while State CPI State secretary Kanam Rajendran said disputes would be settled through discussions.
After the Revenue Minister said that the anti-encroachment operations would continue in Munnar, a top CPI leader claimed that there was no decision to suspend the drive.
“This operation cannot end just like that. It is being carried out as per a Government decision. Then there are court orders. Operations would go on,” he said.
Difference of opinion on the issue came out from within the CPI(M) itself when nonagenarian Marxist and former Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, who had launched the first such drive in Munnar exactly a decade back, said, “Encroachments in any form, even if it is with the use of Cross, should not be allowed.”
“The first anti-encroachment drive in Munnar, undertaken in 2007 by the then lDF regime, had met with an unfortunate end due to opposition from within the front. The current drive also seems to have a similar fate. This once again proves that nobody can touch the encroachers in Munnar,” said an environmentalist based in Munnar.
At the same time, most Christian leaders in Kerala refused to share the anger expressed by the Chief Minister over the razing of the Cross though several senior priests aired displeasure at the manner in which it was dismantled using earthmoving machines and hammers under the cover of tight police security and prohibitory orders.
“If the Cross was on encroached land we don’t approve of it. We don’t support grabbing of forest land,” said Syro-Malabar Catholic Church Major Archbishop Mar George Cardinal Alencherry.
The Cross was erected by a Thrissur-based Christian outfit, Spirit in Jesus, which allegedly wanted to use it as a screen for grabbing land to develop it for spiritual tourism.
There were senior priests who even praised the officials’ act. “This Cross in Munnar was the most recent example of misuse of the Cross and Holy Bible for invasion. The one who would be the happiest at its razing could be none other than Jesus Christ,” wrote Geevarghese Mor Coorilos, Metropolitan of the Syrian Orthodox Church in his Facebook page.