Mob in Kerala shatters Chhattisgarh migrants dream of roof over head
THRISSUR: Lalitha sat on the verandah in the Welfare Partys office in Thrissur, frozen, her eyes blank. A numbness has enveloped the 35-year-old since Sunday night, when she saw the lifeless form of her husband Ramnarayan Baghel, a Chhattisgarh resident who was lynched by a mob at Attappallam in Palakkad on December 17 over suspicions of theft and being a Bangladeshi. It had not let go of her when TNIE spoke to her on Monday night. Nearby, her children, aged 10 and 9, watched videos on the mobile, blissfully unaware of the tragedy that had struck the family. Lalitha was at her home in Karhi, Chhattisgarh, when she received the devastating news. It was our dream to construct our own house. Brick by brick, we built it. However, we needed more money to concrete the roof and complete it, Lalitha said. On December 13, Ramnarayan, a mason who earned `250 back home, left for Kerala. That was the last Lalitha saw or spoke to him. He took the train dreaming about a job that paid better so that our house could be built swiftly, she said. Upon arriving at Kerala, Ramnarayan called his brotherLalitha doesnt have a phonesaying he had reached. I didnt even get a chance to talk to him, said Lalitha. Palakkad mob lynching: CPI(M) alleges RSS role, says victim branded Bangladeshi; BJP denies charge It took me some time to understand what had happened, says cousin The next call was from the police telling the family about what happened. The family Lalitha, children and her mother left for Kerala and reached Sunday evening. Sasikanth, Ramnarayans cousin who has been working in the construction sector in Kanjikode, said around 25 people from their village are engaged in the sector in Palakkad alone. It was why Ramnarayan also took the leap. However, for some reason, he found it hard to adjust with the lifestyle and job here. Though we didnt speak about it much, I know he was not happy. On the morning of December 17, he went out to have food while we went to work. I was later informed by the police about the incident. When I reached the MCH, I was informed about the death, Sasikanth said. He said it was the first time they had come across such an experience in Kerala. It took me some time to understand what had happened and tell the family, he said. The police have arrested seven people so far and said more will be nabbed in the coming days. Meanwhile, Revenue Minister K Rajan, on behalf of the government, has promised them at least Rs 10 lakh as immediate relief. However, with an education till Class 5, no source of income, and two children and a mother to take care of, Lalitha is clueless about what the future holds. Though Ramnarayans brothers and families live in Karhi, Lalitha remains concerned about survival. As she held her two children close and left to Karhi from Nedumbassery with her husbands body in the early hours of Tuesday, Lalitha had a thousand questions in her mind, but no answers.
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