Writings of Kerala Geek

The goonda menace in Kerala has reached such epic proportions that even current ruling party (which was against any such law before) is now implementing Kerala Anti-social Activities (Prevention) Ordinance! But unless there is genuine interest to curb the menace, this ordinance will be of no use.

What powers does the ordinance provide? First of all police can take the goonda on preventive custody upto 21 days without judicial review. It can be further extended with judicial review upto 6 months. Frankly looking at the current serious situation, I think even 6 months is not enough. Also Kerala has a unique problem of human rights activists who are ready to go to any extend to free even the hard core criminal (there was even a long running dharna to free Afzal, one of the prime accused in parliment attack). 

Every day all Kerala newspapers carry fresh news about Goonda attacks. Today is no exception. Only this time I know the place where it happened since I take the route daily. It happened on the aakulam NH 47 bypass which goes to Kovalam (Trivandrum). There is a toll bridge on the way and most of the time there is a queue on both directions. Even if you have a monthly pass you will have to be in the queue. It is all up to the whims of the people at the toll booth.

I think most of them at the toll are rowdies and goondas. I myself had seen a few instances of abuse and goondagiri at the toll. One day a fellow on auto (a gulf malayali I guess) who was going to airport was stopped and verbally abused. Last line I heard from the goondas was - “gulf modayanu kettaa..”! Poor fellow.

So it was waiting to happen. Today Malayala Manorama carries the news - “Toll pirivukar  kudumbathe aakramichu. car thakarthu” (Toll goondas attacked a family and destroyed their car). Is there going to be any action? I doubt it since goondas invariably enjoy political protection…

First thing government should do is to remove that damn toll there. They have been collecting money for too long!

Check out the news clipping below (click on picture to read).

As the Rishiraj singh and Ryan studio saga continues, Kerala film industry decides to boycott Ryan studio. No one yet knows whether Ryan studio did pirate any video cds. But why a boycott without even knowing the full facts?

What prompted me to write this post is comments made by Mammootty at the press meeting. He is saying that we should put people in jail without trial (remember TADA?) for pirating video cds!

Now, let me be clear on one point. I am against any kind of piracy, whether it is piracy of music cd, video cd or software cd. But what Mammootty said is absurd (I thought he was a lawyer before he started acting). Even terrorists who kill dozens of people in India are given due process of law! Mammootty considers people who pirate cds for money worst than terrorists and goondas? I am completely at loss as to the logic of this!

I wrote a post called “Tyranny of the organized - Watch Fee?” recently. A similar tendency is seen in entertainment industry of Kerala as well. If you want to work in film industry or serial industry, you have to join one of the unions (Macta, Amma etc.)! People who work in the entertainment industry are forced to join these organizations.

Thiruvambadi election results are out. George M Thomas of LDF won by a very narrow margin of 246 votes. In the last election Mathai Chacko had won by a margin of more than 5400 votes. The narrow lead takes more signicance due to the fact that his time DIC(K) party supported LDF. BJP it seems is loosing its existing voter base due internal fights in the party.

An interesting aspect of this election was the record voting levels. Almost 85% of the voters turned up at the polling booths.

Vote Tally
Total votes polled : 135537 (84%)
LDF : 64,112
UDF : 63,866
BJP : 4758

Fifty-year-old Mr. Thomas is the secretary of the CPI(M)’s Thiruvambadi area committee. He is also the joint secretary of the Karshaka Sangham in the district.