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back to homepage At present, the people of Orissa in India are experiencing heinous acts of state repression, that of being displaced from their very own homes. The local government has collaborated with multinational companies, such as the Posco Company, a South Korean Steel giant and Sterlite Industries in Niyamgiri Hills, with the goal of gaining profit from the natural resources of the area. This ought to cause outrage, as the blatant disregard for human rights is committed by the State itself, the very entity that should be protecting the rights of the people. Moreover, the permit given by the Supreme Court violates certain provisions in the Constitution, the latter stipulating that “no industry, mines or townships or any other construction activity can be undertaken without the consent of the Gram Sabhas of adivasis in the areas” and would also go against the recently passed Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Rights) Act and its rules. This states that the lands occupied by the adivasis and other ethnic forest dwellers on the forestlands ought to receive the ownership of the land they have been tilling for years. It is highly shameless for the government of Orissa to have entered into agreements with a number of big capitalist businesses, effecting the displacement of millions of people, most of which are adivasis (indigenous people), dalits (untouchables or lower class) and poor farmers. And those who courageously fought for the right to their land were jailed and evicted from their farms and homes. The government is brazenly squashing any opposition and resistance in order to facilitate the sale of people’s lands and natural resources to domestic and foreign corporations to amass huge commissions. Goons are likewise hired to assist state and police forces to intimidate the people and even murder them. On the night of August 12, 2008 Protima Das, a woman advocate practicing at Bhuvaneswar High Court and Pradeep, an anti-displacement activist from Sukinda was arrested along with David Pugh, a social scientist and teacher from the US. Protima Das accompanied David Pugh as a translator, while Pradeep as a route guide. They were all psychologically tortured. Dave was allowed to leave the country after he was illegally detained and undergone interrogation at the police station and at the hotel. Meanwhile, Devendar Das, a Central Council member of Vithapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andalan (VVJVA) was taken from his house. He, Protima and Pradeep were charged with serious politico-criminal cases on purely trumped up charges of having relations with the Maoists. Amin Maharana, another Central Council member of VVJVA, was arrested from his hotel room of Yatri Niwas at around the same time. He just came from a 2-day Steering Committee Meeting after the public hearing on the displacement issue in Orissa where he gave a comprehensive report on displacement. He was tortured while in a 5-day custody by the police officials. He was incommunicado and it was only when people all over the country demanded to produce him in person was he produced on 17th August after he was charged of serious politico-criminal cases. In the face of all these political adversities, the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) calls on its member organizations, supporters and friends and all other democratic and freedom loving organizations and individuals to demand that the trumped up cases against Protima, Devendar Das, Amin Maharana and Pradeep be immediately withdrawn and they be released unconditionally. APC also demands that the Orissa authorities come up with a public apology for unjustified harassment of anti-displacement activists. Political persecution is not only prevalent in India but in other Asian countries as well. Opposition parties are held liable for terrorist acts and activists are incarcerated by the State to prevent them from fighting for the people’s rights. We condemned these act of state terror. Let us show our solidarity with the victims. Long live international solidarity! Below are the contact information of the Indian embassies in your countries. Please write to the consulate expressing your condemnation for the charges against the members of VVJA and to stop the displacement in the state of Orissa.
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