Skip to main content

Dongaria Kondhs demand immediate halt to Odisha police "repression" in Niyamgiri Hills

By Manohar Chauhan
Dongaria Kondhs, under the banner of Niaymgiri Surashkya Samittee (NSS), has demanded immediate halt to police repression and asked for peaceful life in Niyamgiri Hills. Alleging state repression on their peaceful movement towards saving Niyamgiri Hills, Lada Sikaka, president of NSS, accused the Government of Odisha of pushing pro-corporate and anti-tribal activities in the state.
Sharing his experience of "police brutality" on Dongria Kondhs, Sikaka told media in Bhubanesewar, "On October 20 when I had been to Langigarh old market to sell orange, the local police in civil dress came in Bolero and abducted me without any warrant, covered my eyes with a clothe and took me to the local police station where they severely beat me up and tortured me. They released me on the next day after taking my signature on a blank paper."
"They frequently asked me to stop the protest that we had planned before the Ragayagada Collector's office against police repression and Maoist movements in the Niyamgiri Hills", Sikaka added.
Dadhi Kadarka, another senior member of NSS, said, On October 8, I was similarly picked up by the Raigarda Police from Munikhol Panchayat office near Muniguda without stating what was my fault and without any warrant. Police took me to the SP office and was severely physically torture. They released me on October 9.
“In similar manner, on October 18, police abducted Jamu Gauda from village Jhadikhol from Langigarh market and took him to Muniguda police station under Raigarh SP office. They tortured him and compelled him to give information on Maoist links, and threatened to send him to jail. The next day police freed him, Kadarka added.
NSS had called for peaceful protest before the district collector's office Raigarh on October 23 against both police repression and Maoist harassment in the Niayamgiri Hills. They applied for permission it on October 15. Following that, the Kalahhandi SP had called leaders of NSS, including Lingaraj Azad, senior organizer of NSS, and asked them to stop the protest plan otherwise he would take stringent action against them.
“Whoever picked up by the police was either compelled to surrender as Maoist or to give information on Maoist links and get praises from police, and when they would suggest they had no information, the police would torture them and threatened them they would be sent to jail, Sikoka asserted, adding, they would continue their peaceful democratic protest to "save Niayagiri Hills despite police repression and Maoist harassment."
Taking note of police repression, a fact-finding team consisting of Narendra Mohanty (Insaf) Chandranath Dani (Human Rights Defenders Alert), Pradeep Sahoo (Campaign for Survival anf Dignity), Niranjan Mohanty (advocate), and Gaoutam Patra (social worker) visited Niyamgiri Hills, including Muniguda, Lanjigarh and Rayagarda and discussed the prevailing situation with the affected people. They told media about "gross human rights violation by Kalahandi and Raigarda police in the Niyamgiri Hills."
Present on the occasion, Green Nobel awardee Prafulla Samantara spoke out about innocent tribals in Niayamgiri area who, he said, are protected under Schedule 5 of the Constitution and the Forest Rights Act, 2006. He called upon the Government of Odisha to stop "brutal repression on democratic movements in the state in the name of Maoists."
Later in the day, Dongaria Kondh representatives along with several of Odisha's noted activists submitted a petition to the Chief Minister demanding impartial investigation on the alleged incidents of police repression and to take stringent action against those who were responsible for it under the SC-ST Prevention of Atrocity Act, 1989.
They sought a detailed report on all false cases against members of NSS and those who have been put in jail. They said, there should be a total stop to further arrests and torture of innocent people in the name of Maoist repression. In the petition, they also demanded from the Government of Odisha to ensure complete closure of Vedant Alumina Plant in Lanjigarh which they asserted is the main cause of all pollution in the area.

Comments

TRENDING

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Delhi HC rules in favour of retired Air Force officer 'overcharged' for Covid treatment

By Rosamma Thomas*  In a decision of May 22, 2023, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of petitioner Group Captain Suresh Khanna who was under treatment at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, between April 28 and May 5, 2021, for a period of eight days, for Covid-19 pneumonia. The petitioner had to pay Rs 3,55,286 as treatment costs, but the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) only reimbursed him for Rs 1,83,748, on the basis of government-approved rates. 

Urgency for next pandemic? But Mr Health Secretary, you're barking up wrong tree

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD*  The Union Health Secretary, Mr Rajesh Bhushan addressing the Health Working Group of G20 India, at Hyderabad on 05 June 2023, cautioned that the next pandemic would not wait for us to make global treaties and called on countries to work together.

Religious divide 'kept alive' with low intensity communalism in Gujarat's cultural capital

By Rajiv Shah  A fact-finding report, prepared by the Mumbai-based non-profit, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS), has cited the Vadodara Ram Navami violence of March 30 as yet another example of how, after the BJP consolidating its hold on political power in Gujarat post-2002 riots and at the Centre in 2014, the nature of communal riots has changed, underlining, as opposed to high-intensity violence earlier, now riots have become “more sub-radar and at a smaller scale, more localized”.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Why continued obsession with adding more 'water guzzling' coal, nuclear power plants?

By Shankar Sharma*  The true concerns over water inefficiency in coal power plants have been known and have been highlighted many times in the past. A highly relevant study report by Prayas Energy Group had highlighted this fast looming threat to our society many years ago. But our authorities have been acting as though there can be no issue with water supply, and that additional coal power plants can be added indefinitely; even without any true relevance to climate change.

Generative AI as 'potent weapon and shield' in battle of political misinformation

By Haziq Jeelani*  In the pulsating heart of the digital era, the political arena is ceaselessly molded by the swift and relentless flow of information. The line between fact and fiction often blurs, creating a nebulous landscape where truth and deceit intertwine. 

Kailash Satyarthi NGO rescues 12 child workers from high profile Gujarat private varsity

By Our Representative  In a rather grim reflection of the state of child labour in Gujarat, 12 child labourers, most of whom belong to Rajasthan tribal communities, have been rescued from the campus of a high profile private university in Rajkot by a team of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), Labour Department, Centre for Labour Research and Action, and the Police.