Mangaluru: The long battle for justice for endosulfan victims has taken a "divine" turn with the man leading it, Shridhar Gowda, president of the Endo Virodhi Horata Samithi, deciding to knock on the doors of the Temple of Holy Spirits in Kanathur village, Kasargod district, Kerala to prove that he is a victim of the insecticide that was sprayed in the district until its ban a few years ago.
Hurt by Belthangady MLA, Vasanth Bangera calling him a fake endosulfan victim in the legislature last week, Mr Gowda has decided to take an oath before the Kanathur Nalwar Daiwas, to prove that he is not lying when he says that he lost his sight owing to the use of the insecticide in Dakshina Kannada.
Taking oath before the Nalwar Daiwas is considered as good as taking it in the court of God. Once a person approaches the temple, it sends a notice to the other party in the dispute asking him to attend the truth test on a specified date.
"I was not as much hurt when I lost my eyesight as I was when Bangera called me a fake endosulfan victim when doctors have certified that I am," Mr Gowda, who has been fighting for the welfare of endosulfan victims for the 15 years, told reporters.
The activist, who was almost in tears, said he would take the legal route too to prove his point. "Bangera was the MLA in 1983 when endosulfan was sprayed aerially. He was silent then and is responsible for the disaster. He was the MLA when the then government identified endosulfan victims for the first time and provided compensation in 2010. But was silent then too. And now why has he given such a statement against me in the assembly?" he asked.
