TN raiders give sleepless nights to villagers

ROSAPOOKANDAM:  Sajan and Benny, two brothers living with their families in Rosapookandam never forget the day when a band of looters raided their house at night, purportedly in the name of Mullaperiyar. Rosapookandam is a village in Idukki district situated close to the Tamil Nadu border and vulnerable to attack from there. Hundreds in this village and other border regions of Kerala live in fear expecting attacks from looters who could cross over from Tamil Nadu any time, marauding, passing themselves off as Mullaperiyar agitators, taking undue advantage of the turbulent situation.“On Saturday night when Benny and I were in bed, around 50 people armed with sticks and stones crossed the border, attacked the village and created panic here. The police were not around as no one expected such an attack. They damaged houses and property, pelted stones at houses and broke the window panes of some. They also shouted slogans against Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and threatened to kill us. They attacked Benny and broke his arm. My leg was already broken in a bike accident and I could hardly move, but they even attempted to attack me. The villagers and people from Kumily arrived soon and chased them away,” Sajan said.“We are afraid to live here as they can attack us any time. The village is located on the border and they can easily reach here through the forest path. We have heard that several houses in the Cumbum Mettu (Idukki) border areas have been destroyed and looted. Our children can hardly sleep after the terrifying incident and are now demanding that we move to other places”, says Ratnakaran, another villager in  Rosapookandam.“These are not agitators fighting for the Mullaperiyar issue, but looters taking advantage of the situation. Some of our friends living in Gudalur(Nilgiris) and Kambam(Theni) have returned as situation has turned violent there. The property and agriculture were destroyed and looted. Now, they are raiding the villages located on the border. The police and the India Reserve Battalion are camping here. But still we are afraid as people from the other side of the border can attack us any time” Sajan said.