Keezhavenmani victims remembered

NAGAPATTINAM: CPI and CPM observed the 43rd anniversary of Keezhavenmani Massacre on Sunday by paying floral tribute to the martyrs. On Christmas day 43 years ago (1968), in a gruesome  incident, at Keezhavenmani, a small village in Nagapattinam district, 44 Dalits — mostly women and children were burnt alive, when the farm labourers of the village were struggling for wage rise.The CPM, which observes the day as Venmani Martyrs Day, had arranged for several events at the village on Sunday. Leaders and cadre of communist parties paid floral tribute at the place where the 44 persons were burnt alive.CPM state secretary G Ramakrishnan, Kilvelur MLA Mali, Cuddalore MLA Balakrishnan, MLAs Sondararajan, Lazar and other leaders participated.  Tight police security had been provided at the village.On behalf of CPI, Executive Committee Member Gopu, Thiruthuraipoondi MLA Ulaganathan and others paid tributes.According to Left parties, when harvest was going on in 1968, the farm workers of Keezhavenmani demanded six litres of paddy as wage for every 48 litres harvested. On December 25, 1968 two farm workers of Keezhavenmani were beaten up at a landlord’s farm. On hearing that, hundreds of labourers had marched to the farm and rescued the labourers.