Skip to main content

Corporate-backed police 'repression' in South Odisha: Call to support agitating Adivasis

By Kavita Srivastava, V Suresh* 

In the wake of World Indigenous Day on 9th August, when local Adivasi and Dalit communities of the mountainous, bauxite-rich region of South Odisha, particularly, parts of undivided Koraput and Kalahandi districts, were getting ready for the celebration to assert their rights over sacred land and mountains, the Odisha police have unleashed severe repression by resorting to mid-night raids, abductions, illegal detentions, physical assault and incarceration as part of the road clearing operation for companies to loot bauxite reserves. 
The repression has spread and continues till now.
  • Charges of UAPA have been foisted on nine activists of Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti, including its leaders Lada Sikaka, Drenju Krishika and Lingaraj Azad. Upendra Bagh, charged falsely under UAPA charges, is incarcerated after he went missing for four days. Krushna Sikaka, a young Dongria activist of NSS, is incarcerated in an old, fabricated FIR, alleging rape.
  • Over 25 leading activists of the movement against mining of the Sijlimali Mountain in Kashipur and Thuamul Rampur blocks are in jail in three spates of arrests starting 13th to 20th August 2023.
  • Adivasi leaders of Mali Parbat Suraksha Samiti were abducted on August 23rd evening near Semiliguda, Koraput. Later on, they were reportedly let off on 26th August near Dantewada, Chhattisgarh from where they were rescued by their families.
Over the last couple of years, there has been a concerted effort at building unity and solidarity among the struggling people of Niyamgiri, Sijimali, Kutrumali, Majhingmali, Khandualmali, Kodingamali, Mali Parbat, Serubandh, Karnakonda Mali and Nageswari Mali. In this endeavour, the initiative, support and solidarity from Niyamgiri and Mali Parbat, especially, has been a source of inspiration and courage to many of these movements. 
There have been parabs, padyatras, protests and joint programmes demonstrating solidarity and forging unity among the people of these movements. The celebration of World Indigenous Day was part of this collective activity.
Sensing this as a big threat to corporate interest, the state began the current phase of repression in the entire area. Undeterred, hundreds of people participated in the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration in every region.
People of Kashipur showed the same courage and determination, when officials of Mythri Infrastructure and Mining India Private Ltd (a mine developing operator for Vedanta, Adani, Hindalco and other mining companies) tried to enter Sijimali area accompanied with police forces. Women and men physically resisted them.
In retaliation, police began midnight raids that resulted in disappearances and arrests to break people’s resistance. Many were abducted from haats (village markets) and roads; many others were either detained for days or sent to jail later. Approximately 25 people have been incarcerated in Rayagada sub-jail.
There are several FIRs that have named over a hundred people with the ubiquitous “others” that leaves scope for more arrests, as and when the police want to subdue the movement. Many youths have gone into hiding in the jungles to escape the police. One person from Aliguna jumped from the roof top of an Anganwadi centre and sustained spinal injury. He is being treated at MKCG, Berhampur. Many others have been injured and are unable to get treatment as they fear arrests if they go out of their villages.
Women of three villages registered their protest against the brutality of police and company goons and asked the District Collector of Rayagada: “Who are the police really protecting here, the company or the people of Sijimali, Kutrumali, Majhingmali?"
It is no mere coincidence that state repression has intensified with both the ruling parties at the state and the Centre – BJD and BJP – collaborating in accelerating the acquisition of bauxite reserves. Recently, the Forest Conservation Act 1980 was amended in a brazen and undemocratic manner so as to make room for mining on Dalit and Adivasi peoples’ lands and mountains. 
State repression has intensified with ruling parties at State and Centre – BJD and BJP – collaborating to acquire bauxite reserves
Both the ruling establishments seek to stifle the voices of these movements by putting their leaders and active members behind bars at the time of the upcoming elections. Local people have been, time and again, appealing to the administrations through all democratic and legal means available and demanding respect to the laws related to Scheduled Areas. 
Instead of initiating a dialogue with them, the state has resorted to widespread repression and police violence to satisfy the unquenchable corporate greed of natural resources and capitalism’s unbridled accumulation of profits.
It is high time that the common citizens of India recognise that the Adivasis of South Odisha are not only fighting to protect their lives and livelihoods by stopping the corporate encroachment upon their dangars and mountains, they are also protecting those ecosystems for all of us, the entire humanity and fighting for peace and against war, as aluminum is targeted most by the global arms and armaments industry.
It is against this background, that we appeal to all citizens of India to:
  • Extend solidarity with the peoples’ resistance in South Odisha!
  • Condemn the acts of police repression by the BJD-led state government!
  • Demand cancellation of mining proposals and leases in Adivasi regions that violate peoples’ free, prior and informed consent!
  • Oppose ecological destruction and support the movement of Adivasi to protect their habitats and ecosystems.
  • Condemn the deliberate action of the Odisha police and Government to divert attention from the anti-people and anti-environmental policies of the government favouring rapacious corporates, by dubbing the social movement of Adivasis and other movements who demand transparency and accountability from the government, as anti-national and being Maoist frontal organisations.
  • Condemn and oppose the criminalisation of the movement of the Adivasis to protect their habitats and bio-systems, by the police and BJD led Odisha government.
We appeal to all to make a phone call and / or send emails to the Chief Minister of Odisha to stop the repression now and release the prisoners immediately: +91-0674-2390902, cmo@nic.in, cmodisha@nic.in; and VK Pandian, IAS, Private Secretary to CM, Odisha +91-0674-2536762, 2322165 cmo@nic.in, cmo_ps@nic.in.
---
*President, general secretary, People’s Union For Civil Liberties

Comments

TRENDING

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

The Vaccine War fails to reveal: Jabs not one of Indian scientists' 'proud' achievements

By Bhaskaran Raman*  On 28 Sep 2023, the movie “The Vaccine War” by Vivek Agnihotri was released internationally, as the story behind India’s Covid-19 vaccine development. While there will be many a review written, as for other movies, a technical review is important, as the film is supposed to be fact-based, on the science and scientists behind the science.

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

Modi govt intimidating US citizens critical of abuses in India: NY Christian group to Biden

Counterview Desk  the New York Council of Churches for its release of an open letter calling on the Biden administration to “speak out forcefully” against rising Hindu extremist violence targeting Christians and other minorities in India. In the letter addressed to President Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and other major elected officials, the NY Council of Churches expressed "grave concern regarding escalating anti-Christian violence" throughout India, particularly in Manipur, where predominantly Christian Kuki-Zo tribals have faced hundreds of violent attacks on their villages, churches, and homes at the hands of predominantly Hindu Meitei mobs.

Green revolution "not sustainable", Bt cotton a failure in India: MS Swaminathan

MS Swaminathan Counterview Desk In a recent paper in the journal “Current Science”, distinguished scientist PC Kesaven and his colleague MS Swaminathan, widely regarded as the father of the Green Revolution, have argued that Bt insecticidal cotton, widely regarded as the continuation of the Green Revolution, has been a failure in India and has not provided livelihood security for mainly resource-poor, small and marginal farmers. Sharply taking on Green Revolution, the authors say, it has not been sustainable largely because of adverse environmental and social impacts, insisting on the need to move away from the simplistic output-yield paradigm that dominates much thinking. Seeking to address the concerns about local food security and sovereignty as well as on-farm and off-farm social and ecological issues associated with the Green Revolution, they argue in favour of what they call sustainable ‘Evergreen Revolution’, based on a ‘systems approach’ and ‘ecoagriculture’. Pointing ou

Link India's 'deteriorating' religious conditions with trade relations: US policymakers told

By Our Representative  In a significant move, Commissioners on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have raised concerns about the “sophisticated, systematic persecution” of religious minorities by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a hearing on India in Washington DC.

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".

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Why is green revolution harmful for nutrition, food safety, environment, climate change

By Bharat Dogra*  A lie repeated a hundred times will not turn a lie into a truth. The big media should realize this and stop perpetuating the lie of the green revolution saving India from hunger, long after the world has awakened to the reality of how harmful the green revolution has been from the point of nutrition, food safety, environment and climate change.