Mythili Sivaraman, a veteran CPI(M) leader best known for co-founding the All India Democratic Women's Association, died in Chennai while receiving treatment for Covid-19.
Sivaraman, 81, worked as a research assistant in India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations from 1966 to 1968. She then returned to India and became a prominent women's rights activist, actively participating in events organised by the Centre for Indian Trade Union. She wrote for publications such as Mainstream and the Radical Review and contributed to Economic and Political Weekly.
Mythili was a leader who championed the rights of Dalits and homeless people. Her role was critical in bringing to light the horrors of the Keezhvenmani massacre in 1968, in which 44 Dalit community members, including women and children, were killed for leading a strike demanding higher wages.
Mythili, who fought amid political pressure, had put the Annadurai government in crisis. As the leader of the Democratic Women's Association, she led several women's struggles in the country. Sivaraman was successful in publicising the Vachathi case, which involved the destruction of tribal community property and mass rape.
On June 20, 1992, 155 forest personnel, six revenue department officials, and 108 police officers raided a tribal village in Vachathi in search of information about Veerappan, the notorious sandalwood smuggler. The team ransacked the village, slaughtered cattle, attacked several villagers, and raped 18 women.
Several activists, including Sivaraman, worked tirelessly to discover the truth about the incident. On September 29, 2011, all 269 defendants were found guilty by a special court. During the trial period, 54 people died, and the remaining 215 were imprisoned.
MK Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, expressed his condolences and stated that Sivaraman's death is a huge loss to women's rights activism, going on to praise her for her efforts in exposing the Keezhvenmani massacre.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also expressed condolences for her death, saying Sivaraman fought tirelessly for women's liberation as well as the rights of Dalits and the marginalised. The Left chief also recalled her significant contributions as an AIDWA leader, CITU activist, and CPI(M) member, and stated that her death is a great loss to the country's progressive movements.
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