IDUKKI (Kerala, India): A land ownership certificate (patta) granted in 2020 to the granddaughter of celebrated tribal hero Chemban Kolumban has been revoked by authorities, leaving the family alleging procedural lapses and lack of communication in the cancellation.
Sudha Rajappan, the granddaughter of Kolumban and daughter of Thenan Bhaskaran, received the title for 60 cents of ancestral land near Vazhathope two years ago but was recently informed informally that it had been cancelled.
Rajappan and her family say they were not given any formal notice or official explanation of the cancellation. The family contends that the title was revoked on the grounds that a public pathway was running through the property, a claim that they dispute. They maintain that the official land sketch attached to the patta clearly showed only a public road abutting the land and did not indicate the existence of any internal pathway crossing the property.
According to the family, neighbors had historically used one side of the land for passage, with the family’s consent, but it was never formally recognized as a public thoroughfare. In 2022, officials from the Vazhathope gram panchayat sought to construct a road through the land without seeking consent, prompting the family to object and halt the work. At that time, the family says they were warned that failure to surrender the land would lead to cancellation of the patta.
The dispute arose again this year after a new panchayat council assumed office. Despite Sudha Rajappan’s refusal to give up any portion of the property for a proposed pathway, construction materials were reportedly brought to the site and work commenced without the family’s permission. It was only after this development that the family learnt of the patta’s cancellation. They say they have not received a copy of the cancellation order or any detailed reasons from the authorities.
The matter has drawn attention because of the legacy of Chemban Kolumban, a tribal leader from the Oorali community whose knowledge of the local terrain was instrumental in identifying the site for the iconic Idukki Dam nearly 104 years ago. In 1922, Kolumban guided European engineers through a narrow forest pass to the gorge between the Kuravan and Kurathi hills, where the dam was eventually constructed. His role is recognized as pivotal in the early stages of the project’s planning, and the state government has installed a statue and memorial in his honor.
Tribal land rights have long been a contentious issue in Kerala, with indigenous communities often struggling to retain ownership of ancestral lands amid development pressures and administrative decisions. Land titles are key to securing legal ownership, and revocation of such titles can leave families vulnerable and without recourse unless due process is followed.
The Kolumban family’s protest underscores the broader challenges faced by tribal landholders in asserting and defending their rights
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