Kerala: Red dhoti invites BJP wrath

Kozhikode: A red dhoti worn by one among a five-member group of youngsters, who went from Kozhikode to Kasargod, provoked some  BJP people near Parkkalai in Kasargod, a BJP-dominated area,  who assaulted them on January 3, it is alleged. Red dhotis had become popular among the   Left supporters on the campuses after some popular movies were released in Kerala.  

The group consisted of  Navajith Narayanan (actor), Rahul Mulleri (photographer), Sree Lakshmi (local journalism student), Sharbith (photographer) and Jefrin Jerald,  assistant film director from Thiruvananthapuram. Jefrin Jerald, who was wearing a  red dhoti,  was injured in his chest and is under treatment at AKG hospital, Kannur.  They feared to  seek treatment at any hospital in Kasargod.  The Ambalathara police recorded the statement of  the victim.

The group had gone to Payyannur, Kannur, on January 2 to watch ‘Vellarangara Theyyam’ that appears after 45 years. Later, Navajith, who hails from Parakkalai, invited them to watch ‘Gulikan Theyyam’ of his area. Since there was a hartal on January 3, they stayed back in Kasargod, said  Navajith. “My parents are working in a hospital in Parakkalai. My mother is a cancer patient and my friends wanted to see her before returning. Even she was pushed  to the ground for supporting us,” said Navajith. CPM Kannur district secretary P. Jayarajan visited the victims in AKG hospital and said that the fascist attack was against the right to dress according to one’s choice.