Family of late Kerala dalit activist Chitralekha faces eviction after bank issues foreclosure notice

The family of the late dalit activist and autorickshaw driver Chitralekha faces the threat of eviction after Kannur Co-operative Urban Bank issued a foreclosure notice for their house at Kattampally Kuthirathadam in Kannur, Kerala.

The bank, controlled by Congress-led management committee, has ordered the family to vacate the house by December 7, warning that it will be seized on December 18 if the dues remain unpaid.

Bank officials served the notice at the house on November 24 citing a Thalassery court order.

The family, reportedly struggling with poverty, unemployment and illness, now faces an uncertain future, says Chitralekha’s husband M. Sreeshkanth.

The crisis reportedly stems from a ₹5-lakh loan taken in August 2016, arranged through former Kannur Mayor T.O. Mohanan. The family reportedly repaid over ₹1.5 lakh, but arrears mounted due to Chitralekha’s death in October 2024 and other family difficulties.

The bank claims that the dues, with interest, total ₹9 lakh now. Current bank chairman and DCC general secretary Rajeevan Elayavoor had earlier reportedly assured the family that the loan would be settled for ₹6 lakh. However, foreclosure proceedings were initiated through the District Sessions Court.

The five cents of land on which the house stands at Kuthirathadam was originally granted to Chitralekha by then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in 2016 following her 200-day protest before the Kannur Collectorate and the Secretariat.

Although the subsequent LDF government cancelled both the land and the ₹5-lakh housing grant, the Kerala High Court restored the land to her in June 2024. Chitralekha passed away four months later.

Sreeshkanth, unable to work due to a leg injury and son Manu, now live in extreme poverty, along with two grandchildren.

The family is willing to sell the house to settle the debt and buyers are available, but legal provisions allow sale of the land only after 12 years. Their application for seeking exemption is currently pending before the Revenue Commissioner.