Muvattupuzha: CPM leader Gopi Kottamurikkal has defended the bank which evicted children from their homes when their parents were not present in Pezhakappilly. Gopi, who is also in charge of the bank, explained that the action was not unexpected and that usually no one was there whenever he went.
No children were evicted. They were on their way to their mother’s house. Mathew Kuzhalnadan MLA had to collect the money to repay the family and pay it in the bank. If the father had been informed that he was in the hospital, the confiscation would have been avoided. Gopi also alleged that what happened was a ‘created scene’ by Mathew Kuzhalnadan.
This is not to say that small lenders will not lend. The foreclosure proceedings take its own time when the refund fails. This is not an unexpected step. The court ordered that action be taken with police protection.
When the confiscation took place, the children were instructed to take whatever they needed. They took out the study material and put it on the bench. The bank employees returned following completing the procedures. Later in the evening, the MLA and others came and created problems, he said.
The children studying in classes 10, 7 and 5 of Ajesh and Manju in Valiyaparambil were evicted from their homes as part of the confiscation proceedings. Two are twin girls. Neighbors said the action of the bank, which is ruled by the Left governing council, was due to a loan arrears of around Rs 1.5 lakh.
Bank officials reached the house of a Dalit family in Pezhakappilly yesterday evening. Ajesh is in hospital due to a heart condition. His wife Manju was also with Ajesh. Neighbors and local panchayat members demanded that the children be released only following they returned, but the officials did not back down.
English Summary: CPM leader Gopi Kottamurikkal justifies bank recovery in Pezhakkapprlly
