Overview
- Police and an advocate commission tried to evict seven Dalit families from Malayidomthuruth on May 20, triggering protests that led officers to use water cannon, make arrests and escort commission members away.
- The Advocate Commission says it acted under a Supreme Court ruling that upheld private title to about 2.65 acres and ordered eviction before formal demarcation of the larger disputed area.
- Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala directed a halt to the operation and asked the state police chief to submit a three-day inquiry into the police response to the eviction attempt.
- Authorities have filed cases under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against more than 50 people after a complaint by the commission, and a Perambavoor Munsiff Court has ordered police to complete the eviction by May 23 and report back.
- The dispute turns on claims that parts of the land are puramboke (government common land); residents and CPI(M) activists have demanded a fresh survey and formed protection committees, raising the risk of renewed clashes if the legal and administrative questions are not resolved.