Mangalore : CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat said that Vittala and his family is targeted by the government since they have opposed to the eviction of the tribal and even rejected the compensation given by the government.

He was speaking at the seminar held on ‘Evils of Naxalism and the human rights violation of adivasis’ organized by CPI (M) at NGO hall on Sunday, May 20.

He also said that tribal members can own as much as 12.5 acres of land in forest areas as per the Forest Tribal Rights Act 2007.

He said that the adivasi people have been trapped in between the environmental and forest framed by the government. They have been caught by the Naxals and government powers through out the country and facing problem.

Karat said that the implementing a draconian law like the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act against Vittala and his father is similar to the implementation of Prevention of Terrorist Act against the Muslims.

He said that the tribals were deprived from their rights on livelihood, after the implementation of neo-liberal policies two decades ago. The government is vacating the people from these areas in order to provide lands for the private and multi-national mining companies.

On the occasion, a district defence committee was also formed to fight for the release of Vittala and Linganna Malekudiya. The party also appointed Yashwanth Maroli as the president of this committee, Kannada writer Sarah Aboobakker as the vice president, and Muneer Katipalla as the general secretary.